


Yellow or Blue?

by doritosenpai



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Abuse, Dark, Gaslighting, M/M, Mental Abuse, NSFW, Physical Abuse, Reverse Bill, Reverse Falls, Reverse Pines, Violence, dubcon, i did not come up with the idea for this story, thank you so much storiesfromthemoon for letting me write this, this was a prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 20:27:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4033447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doritosenpai/pseuds/doritosenpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Formerly titled: Storiesfromthemoon Reverse Falls Prompt<br/>This story is based off a prompt/story idea by storiesfromthemoon on tumblr, who was nice enough to allow me to write this.<br/>This is what they said in their original post:<br/>"Ok but like. If I could write.<br/>Reverse au idea where Dipper is terrible to Bill but Bill is still in love with him anyway, but one day Mabel and Dipper push him too hard and it ends with Dipper breaking his heart causing him to run away and hide in the woods overnight.<br/>And because he knows he messed up by running away, he decides to open a little looking glass of sorts so he can check in and see how mad reverse Dipper and Mabel are going to be.<br/>Only he opens the portal on an alternate of Dipper who is kind and cute and everything he wants, and fancy that this Dipper happens to be smitten with an alternate of himself who appears to just be using him as well.<br/>So instead of going home he crawls through the portal hoping that this Dipper wouldn’t mind blue instead of yellow."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, first I need to write some trigger warnings! This story has mental and physical abuse in it, both implied and out write written. If that makes you uncomfortable, then I would suggest skipping this, I don't want to make any of you uncomfortable.  
> Ok, now that that's been said I would like to say thank you to storiesfromthemoon on tumblr for letting me write this. Your idea was soooo cool and I'm so happy you let me write it for you! There will be more to come I promise!  
> Enjoy everybody!

Bill dug the palms of his hands into his dark blue slacks, teary eyes cast downward to the bathroom’s tile floor. He knew he should leave, this wasn’t healthy, but...neither was running. The twins would find him, kill him probably. No, no they wouldn’t do that. Maybe Mabel, but not Dipper. Dipper wasn’t one to show emotion, but he knew Bill cared about him, there was no way the boy would kill him, he loved Bill back...right?

Bill let out an irritated whimper, absently tracing the bruises along his wrists with a finger. _‘These thoughts are getting you nowhere Bill, just look at you, you’re crying again.’_ He wiped at his wet cheeks with the sleeve of his light blue button down and forced his trembling to still. The twins would be home soon, he had to get himself together.

_‘If they see me like this I’ll never hear the end of it.’_

Bill brushed his blue curls out of his eyes and took a deep breath. The mirror before him did not hold a pretty picture. His face was swollen and red from his crying, white cotton eyepatch askew and nearly falling off. Pastel hair stuck up haphazardly, practically sticking straight up in one spot from when Dipper had decided to use it as a hand hold as he’d been dragged down the hall. The rest of his body hadn’t fared much better. The twins were downright cruel when they were bored and Bill could feel the bruises forming beneath the folds of his shirt.

“Practice” they’d called it. Bill sneered at his reflection, disgusted with the word. The twin’s didn’t need practice, at least not with him. They were skilled fighters, no matter what they used, magic, weapons, fists. Bill had never raised a hand to anyone in his life, he wasn’t on their level, he didn’t measure up. The twins gained nothing from the sparring, _‘it was more of a beating than a sparring match Bill, why can’t you just admit that my gosh’_ , yet he continued to be their favorite punching bag. Why? _‘You know why, they don’t care abo-.’_

“No!,” Bill gasped, squeezing his eyes shut tight, as if that might actually stop his thoughts from completing themselves. They had to care. Dipper had to care. They looked after him, fed him, gave him a place to stay. So yeah, sometimes they got a bit rough with him, but they didn’t mean to right? No, of course they didn’t, they loved him. Dipper loved him.

The demon let out a small chuckle, pressing his forehead against the mirror’s cool glass. He couldn’t get that damn boy out of his head. He knew it was wrong, but he was smitten for sure, apparently his heart had no sense of self preservation.

As if summoned by his thoughts alone, Bill heard the front door open down the hall and two sets of feet clicking into the entryway.

“Bill?” a male voice called out.

“You better not be sulking still,” Mabel huffed.

Dipper shushed her quietly and started down the hall, Bill stepping out of the bathroom to meet him halfway. The taller boy cupped the demon’s face in his hands, leaning in close to examine his tear stained cheeks.

“You were crying again,” he stated simply. His words were flat and Bill flinched. _‘Stupid stupid stupid, you were so wrapped up in your thoughts you didn’t even wash your face off stupid stu-’_

__

Dipper noticed the flinch and sighed, his warm breath ghosting across Bill’s face. “I’m not mad at you Bill, I’m sorry we hurt you, we just wanted to play is all.” The young man’s words were sweet and quiet, calming the demon instantly. Deep down, he knew the apology meant nothing, he’d heard it hundreds of times before, the promises of safety never kept, yet, Bill’s breath still caught in gratitude. He couldn’t help but feel like the man before him actually cared, as if he had meant every word.

Bill leaned into Dipper’s touch, nuzzling against his hand. “I’m sorry I’m so weak,” he whispered. His vision blurred with the threat of fresh tears. If only he were just a bit stronger, just a little less scared, he’d be able to keep up with the man he loved. _‘Why am I so damn pathetic, this is all my fault.’_

Dipper gazed down at him with a small, sad smile. The young man's fingers rubbed softly at Bill's face. "That's why we have to keep doing this, it's for you own good. You'll learn, I promise."

Another lie, it had to be, but....he sounded so..sincere. Bill wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that they didn't enjoy his pain, that they were actually trying to help him. But he hesitated, images of every cut, every bruise, every harsh word flashing through his mind at speeds that almost made him dizzy.

Dipper frowned, sensing his unease. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to Bill's. The contact was deceptively gentle. "Trust me Bill," he whispered, pulling back slightly.

The memories stopped tormenting Bill as soon as Dipper's lips hit his. His mind went blank and all he could focus on was the soft sensation and the gentle words. Trust him, trust him. "O-Of course," he stammered, trying to get closer, anything to have Dipper's lips on his again.

The brunette smirked at the demon's reaction. "Good boy," he hummed, kissing him once more.

Bill let out an appreciative whimper as his face flushed pink, whether from the praise or the kiss he wasn't sure. Nor did he really care, not with Dipper's lips pressed firmly against his own.

The taller boy pulled away all too quickly though, but Bill didn't dare grab out after him, not when he had just gained back his favor. Dipper chuckled at the demon's pout. "Come on now Bill, you have show to set up," he said, placing one final kiss to his forehead, "And if you do a good job, I promise you'll go to sleep very happy tonight."

Bill's cheeks burned bright red. "I-uh y-yes," he stuttered, pulling away quickly to follow his new orders. Dipper shot him a dazzling smile, then turned on his heels to return back to Mabel. Bill's gaze lingered on the man's retreating form, then he rushed into his room, small and cramped, to pick up the needed equipment for the twin's show. He slipped the heavy bag over his shoulder and made his way out the front door, headed for the Telepathy Tent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has mild nsfw content.

The show had gone wonderfully. Mabel and Dipper had gone ahead back to the house about ten minutes prior, leaving Bill behind to clean up the stage. The equipment was easy enough to pack up, but it was tedious gathering all the trash the audience had left behind.

"Didn't these humans ever learn to pick up after themselves?" Bill grumbled, grabbing a discarded cup and tossing it into the bag in his other hand. The demon refused to let it bother him though, and sped through his work, eager to take Dipper up on his pre show promise.

Bill finished the clean up earlier than usual, but even then the sun had already begun to set as he sealed up the flap of the Telepathy Tent. The walk home was still warm and pleasant though, a soft breeze ruffling the curls on top of the demon's head.

He made a quick stop at Greasy's, picking up a sandwich with some money Dipper had gifted to him. It was late after all and the twins' Grunkle had probably already cooked them something. They weren't exactly keen to the idea of waiting for Bill. It didn't really bother him, Greasy's had good food.

He hummed happily at the first bite, chewing as he walked. The stars twinkled overhead and the demon allowed himself to relax, a luxury he rarely got around Mabel or even Dipper. The walk home wasn't long though, and soon enough he found himself in the front yard of the house, empty sandwich wrapper in hand. He tossed it easily into the trash can by the garage and slipped in the front door, careful to be quiet so as not to disturb anyone.

The entryway was empty, but Bill could make out the muffled voices of Mabel and Dipper from the kitchen. He crept through the hall, instantly curious, and paused just outside the doorway. He thought he'd heard them say his name.

"Its disgusting how nice you are to him," Mabel sneered.

The demon heard the fridge open and the sound of bottles being shifted aside.

Dipper laughed, "You say that as if I actually enjoy it. Well, I mean I do, but only because of how hilarious his reactions are. I mean have you seen him? He acts like a lovesick puppy every time I even get close to him, obedient but pathetic," he said, pouring himself a glass of whatever drink he'd pulled out.

Bill's heart sank. _'No, no they can't be talking about me, I must have heard them wrong. Dipper would never say that.'_

__

"But is it really necessary?" Mabel groaned, "He's no fun, all he does is cry."

_'No, it has to be someone else, please for the love of all that  is demonic let it be someone else.'_

__

"Mabel," Dipper said slowly, "Don't you get it? Bill's a demon for crying out loud! No matter how weak he acts, he's got incredible power locked up inside of him. All we have to do is find a way to get it out and take it from him. Until we find out how, we need keep him in his place. And if you haven't noticed, this whole 'love' charade is doing a pretty damn good job of that."

Bill struggled not to sink to his feet right then and there. _'He called it a charade, he-he doesn't care, he never cared. I-I'm so stupid! I knew, I knew! I just coudn't-'_

Bill ran back the way he had came, taking the stairs two at time as soon as he reached them. He was careful to keep his footsteps silent, praying to whatever spirits were present that the twin's downstairs wouldn't hear him. He swung open the door to his room and collapsed onto the bed, body shaking violently with suppressed sobs. _'Don't cry, don't cry, don't-'_

His breath hitched in his throat and a small river of unbidden tears leaked out. _'Bill, stop. You knew, you knew it was too good to be true.'_ He pressed his fists into his eyes, as if they were corks that could stop the watery flow. _'I knew, why does this hurt so bad, I already knew, this this shouldn't hur-'_

__

The door opened quietly and Dipper poked his head in. "Bill, can I come in, I heard the door and I wanted to keep good on that promise of- O-Oh, um...are you ok?" he asked, clearly taken aback by Bill's seemingly unprovoked water works.

_'Lie just lie, it safer just-'_

__

"You don't love me," he croaked, "You lied to me." The demon didn't dare lift his head from his hands, knowing anger would be the only rational response to his insolence.

Instead, a soft hand was placed onto his back and the bed shifted as Dipper sat down next to him. Bill flinched, waiting for the man to turn on him...but he didn't. Dipper slowly pulled the demon's hands from his eyes, forcing Bill to look up into his face. His brown eyes were strangely...worried.

"You heard me downstairs didn't you?" he asked sadly.

Bill hiccuped quietly. It was dangerous to admit to his eavesdropping, but Dipper's reaction had caught him so off guard that he couldn't even stop himself. He nodded his head.

"Bill, I didn't mean any of that. Mabel just doesn't understand how I feel about you, I had to tell her something. You know better than anyone, if she knew I had a weakness, she'd target me, you wouldn't want that to happen would you."

The demon stared at him, dumbstruck. The rational side of his brain wrestled with his emotions, it was making his head hurt. _'He's lying, don't trust him! Why would Mabel ever hurt him? Yes, she's evil, but she'd never **ever** hurt him, you know that!'_

"N-No, of course not," Bill stammered.

"I love you Bill, don't ever doubt that," Dipper whispered, pressing his lips to the demon's. The smaller man tried to pull back at first,  but Dipper's hands help him firmly in place, pulled him closer. The kiss fogged his senses and before he knew it, Dipper had pushed him down into the bed. Dipper loomed over him a moment, his eyes sad as he looked down at Bill.

"Please believe me Bill," he pleaded.

The demon shuddered. Dipper Pines didn't plead, maybe he had been telling the truth, maybe- 'Bill no, he's lying and you know that.'

Dipper didn't wait for an answer, pressing his lips hungrily to Bill's. The demon grasped at the boy's shirt, pulling him closer, wanting more than anything to just forget what he'd heard, for things to just go back to normal. _'What are you doing, you idiot?!'_ He pushed the thought down, thoroughly determined to force the pieces of his life back together, he couldn't lose Dipper. This man was all he had.

Dipper hummed in approval, pulling back with a small bite to the demon's lower lip. "Good boy," he purred. Slowly, Dipper placed kisses all along Bill's neck, then his collarbone, the smaller man arching into every small touch.

Dipper moved his head back up, his lips just brushing Bill's ear. The man's fingers began undoing the buttons of the demon's shirt as he whispered "I'm still not happy about your eavesdropping Bill."  
  
Bill shuddered beneath Dipper, definitely not enjoying the new tone the man had taken. _'This is it, why, why did you let him so close, he could easily-'_  
  
"I'm going to have to punish you later, but...not now. That would ruin our little moment now wouldn't it?" Dipper finished undoing the button and began to kiss along Bill's chest.  
  
Bill began to tremble, but not from pleasure. Panic began to set in as he realized that he couldn't ignore his rational thoughts anymore. Dipper had been lying. Dipper didn't love him. Dipper was going to hurt him, _again_. _'I need to get out of here, I need to run.'_  
  
Dipper's kisses started roaming lower, but Bill grasped his shirt, halting the advance. The demon looked down at his former love with wide, fearful eyes.   
  
"St-Stop, I can't," he croaked.  
  
Dipper looked up at him with first confusion, and then fury in his eyes. "After all I've done for you, you're telling me to stop?"  
  
Bill swallowed, taking a moment to gather his courage. "Y-yes, I don't-I don't want this."  
  
Dipper's eyes almost seemed to glow with anger. "You ungrateful brat," he spat, pushing himself back up until they were face to face. His hand came up to grip Bill's chin roughly, the other hand coming into the demon's peripheral vision and igniting in blue flame.  
  
"I was going to wait to punish you, I was going to make you feel good. Now look what you're making me do," he snarled.   
  
Bill's eyes locked on the man's flaming hand, watching terrified as it came closer and closer to his exposed chest. He tried to wriggle out from beneath Dipper's body, but the larger man had him effectively trapped.  
  
"No stop!" he screeched. Dipper didn't listen, instead bringing his hand in close to hover over the skin above Bill's heart. Even an inch above him, the heat of the flames were astounding. His skin felt as though it were blistering and his struggles only intensified with the new pain.  
  
"Get off!" he screamed, managing to slip a hand out from under Dipper. He placed it onto Dipper's chest and sent a wave of magic through it, as much as he could muster. The man shot back in a burst of yellow flames and light, hitting the far wall and crumpling to the ground.   
  
Bill knew he only had seconds before Dipper would be up and after him again. The blast had been powerful, but still far from lethal. _'He hurt you, why can't you hurt him back?!'_  
  


He leaped over the boy's body, eyes burning with tears, and bounded by the stairs. He noticed too late that Mabel had poked her head out into the hall, curious about all the noise.

"Bro bro, what the hell are you doing up there?" She asked, stopping short as she caught sight of Bill. She recognized his panicked face immediately and tried to grab at him. "Oh no you don't you pathetic triangle."

Mabel's hand  grasped around his arm, her long finger nails digging painfully through his shirt. He threw up his hand again, letting another blast of yellow magic shoot her back as well. As soon as he was free of her grasp, he bolted, sprinting towards the front door, nearly ripped the thing off its hinges in his haste. Behind him he could hear the stomping thuds of Dipper storming down the stairs.

Bill ran for the treeline, knowing that it was his only chance. _'Just disappear through the trees, you can make it, they won't be able to find you...at least...not for a little while...'_

The demon burst into the trees, weaving through the trunks and ducking under branches, their stray leaves whipping across his face. He chanced a glance back towards the house and saw Dipper running after him at full speed. _‘I’m not gonna make it, oh gosh I’m not gonna-Bill you idiot!’_

__

He heard a grunt behind him as Dipper hit the treeline, he wasn't nearly as comfortable with the place as Bill was, and the dense foliage had slowed him considerably. Even so, the man’s eyes glowed blue with barely contained magical energy. Bill racked his panicked brain for any possible escape route and- an idea, quick and simple popped up. _‘Teleport! Go now! You’re far enough away from the house, their wards can’t dampen your magic anymore, go!’_

Taking in a deep breathe, Bill pushed his essence forward, allowing it to skip and jump through space, taking him immediately into the deepest parts of the Gravity Falls woods. It was quiet except for the rapid beating of Bill’s heart and his heavy breathing.

The demon collapsed to the ground, his stomach churning with fear. _‘My gosh, what did I just **do**?’_

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and kudos, I appreciate them a lot. Sorry it took me so long to update, I was hoping to have this up sooner but yeah this week was kinda busy. On the up side I won two awards at my school for some art pieces I did (first time i won an award besides a participation metal woot woot lol) and on the downside I got a really gross cold (just in time for senior outing too, that was not fun). But my cold is finally starting to go away so I should be updating sooner again. I won't have a set updating schedule though because I'm going to go back and forth between this story and my other one so that neither gets neglected. So I'll just be updating as I get stuff done. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! (It was hard to start but actually ended up kinda long haha)

Bill lifted himself off the damp ground with shaky arms, glancing around quickly to make sure he was still alone. His face was stiff with dried tears and he could feel bits of foliage sticking to his pastel curls. The sun above him was bright, filtering through the trees and leaving delicate patterns of shadows all around. Birds chirped in the cool morning air and he smiled, waking up here was familiar, safe. He had missed this place, the forest, his home for so many centuries, at least until....

Bill had allowed himself to mourn the night before, curling up into a small ball amongst the grass and leaves, hands gripping his knees desperately, as if that was his only chance at holding himself together.

At first all he could manage were choked sobs, grief and loss overwhelming him. He'd been tricked and betrayed by the only person he had ever come to love. And it hurt. But over the night, that sadness had been replaced by another emotion, one he hadn't been expecting; anger.

The demon had wanted to scream into the darkness, to curse the twins, to curse _Dipper himself_. He had wanted to yell and shout and call them out on every horrible thing they'd done to him, for ruining the calm, happy life he'd made for himself, for making him so damn  _dependent_ on them. But he hadn't dared to open his mouth, fearing what, or more importantly who, might follow the noise. Instead, he had laid his head back into the grass and allowed the grip on his knees to lessen, settling back into the ground with a frustrated sigh. 'Just get some rest Bill, you can sort this all out in the morning.'  
  
Now, with the sun peeking out over the horizon, the full force of what had happened the night before came slamming into him. His stomach clenched tightly around a hard knot of fear and his breathing picked up a much more rapid pace. There would be no running. There would be no safety. There would be no _freedom_. The twins didn't just give up like that. Bill had disobeyed them, there was no _surviving_ that. They were probably back at the house now, scouting out the forest with a myriad of tracking spells, searching for him. He couldn't even run, at least not outside Gravity Falls. The twins had bound him to the town years ago as a precaution. Bill had feared their punishment more than the binding and, at the time, it hadn't seemed so bad. Gravity Falls had been his home for centuries, he'd never really considered leaving before, so why would he start? Bill scoffed at the memory. _'How could I have been so naive?'_  
  
 _'This is hopeless, just go back to them now. If you apologize they might go easier on you.'_  
  
Bill didn't want to consider the other option, knowing that if he continued to run, his punishment would be far worse than anything the twin's had thrown at him before. By the end of it, he knew he'd be begging them for death, for escape, promising them anything they wanted, whatever it took, as long as it would make them _stop_. The demon shuddered. _'No, that won't happen, you won't let it, you'll go back and be the good little pet they want you to be.'_

__

Bill sat up straight, resting his back against the trunk of a tall tree, his hands running nervously through his hair. _‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I-I’m...’_  He dug his nails into his scalp hard, forcing himself back to reality. He could apologize later, _would_ apologize later. Right now, damage control was more important. The twins were mad, furious more accurately, he knew that much, and going in blind was not an option he wanted to consider. _‘I’ll just take a quick peek, maybe I’ll be able to see them. I can figure out how to approach this from there.’_

Taking a deep breath, the demon held out his hand and a small oval of yellow light appeared above his fingers. The surface of the tiny portal rippled, then reflected his face back at him like a mirror. Bill groaned at the image, somehow he had managed to look even worse than the day before. His normally bronze skin was sallow and slightly clammy, his piercing amber eye uncharacteristically dull. Through his still open shirt, Bill could see a patch of blisters covering the skin above his heart, where Dipper’s magical fire had very nearly made contact. He prodded at the area gently and hissed as the irritated area began to protest. The demon’s eye shut tight as his fingers probed further into the wound, his lips forcing out a small incantation. There was a brief warmth over his skin and suddenly the pain was gone, the only remaining evidence of the wound being a speckling of small white scars.

Bill smiled at his handiwork, he was a bit rusty sure, but the magic had done its job well enough. The twins had put up a myriad of wards over their house shortly after they had found Bill, subtle ones, but effective nonetheless. They had kept Bill’s powers dampened just enough that he couldn’t heal or teleport, not that he would have anyway. Dipper and Mabel had been very clear about the rules of the house. One; there would be no leaving without permission and/or an escort. Two; the scars were a reminder, and were not to be removed. Bill could still see Mabel smirking down at him cruelly. “How else are you supposed to recall your lessons?”

Bill pushed the memory aside quickly, not wanting to dwell on past punishment, especially considering the one looming before him. With a sigh he pulled himself out of his thoughts to look back at his image in the portal. All he had to do was take a quick look at the twins, to gauge just  how mad they were. He could plan his apology from there, minimize the damage maybe....maybe. _'Who are you kidding, it's useless, you're dead either way you know that. You might not even be able to see them, your magic is useless in that damn house of theirs.'_

__

_'No, no, its worth it, you can do this. Just try, it can't hurt.'_  
  
Bill flicked his hand toward the portal, its surface rippling again as his thoughts continued to war back and forth. There was a flash of color, then a building slowly began to appear, then trees, then people.  
  
"What? No, that's not right," Bill murmured, leaning in to get a better look at the image. The mystery shack stared back at him, dull and worn down, a sharp contrast from the bright, seemingly cheerful home of the twins. But...Gideon was nowhere to be seen, nor Pacifica. Instead he saw a man and a woman, both brunettes, tossing water balloons at each other across the yard.  
  
Bill rubbed at his eyes, clearly he must be seeing things. If he didn't know any better he would have thought they were...the twins? But, that wasn't possible. They resembled each other for sure, but they were _different._ The man's wet hair was somewhat long and unkempt, the thick wavy curls sticking to his forehead in such a way that Bill couldn't quite tell if there was any sort of mark hiding beneath them. It was a far cry from the neat, styled updo that he saw Dipper wrestle his hair into every morning. And his smile. Dipper _never_ smiled like that. This man's was wide and genuine, filled to the brim with joy as he swung another overfilled balloon at the woman across from him. Even through the portal, it was dazzling and Bill couldn't help but smile back with him.

The girl, well, she was simply the spitting image of Mabel, same poofy brown hair, same straight smile. But the light in her eyes wasn't mischievous, it was bright and full of wonder, but also subtly over observant. They were the eyes of someone who created, rather than destroyed.

Suddenly, the balloon the man had thrown hit her full force in the chest, exploding against her body in time with her own explosion of giggles. Seeing that she was distracted, the man threw two more balloons. They sailed through the air briefly, glinting harshly in the summer sun, before hitting their target perfectly.

The girl gasped for breath between the breaks in her laughter, choking out a huffed, "Ok, ok Dipper! You win!"

Bill sucked in a sharp breath. She had called him _Dipper_. At this point the demon knew it couldn't be a mere coincidence. This man was the same as the one he knew, living in an entirely different world, different universe to be exact. Distracted by his conflicting thoughts, the demon had opened up a portal not to the twin's he knew, but to another pair, a pair that reflected the life he longed so badly for. It seemed his magic had sought them out using his desires alone, weaving through the multiverse until it found the perfect copy, the safe haven Bill knew he needed. He'd never bothered to look into another dimension before, hadn't even considered that he could if he were going to be honest. He knew they existed, sure, but, contact between dimensions was rare and generally bad news, so he'd left them alone.

The demon's hand came to rest against the portal's surface, just over the man's image, his features distorting where the tips of his fingers pressed down.

"Beautiful," he breathed, entranced by the sight before him, the smile, the caring way he helped his sister off the ground, the teasing shake of his head, like a dog after a bath, dousing the girl even further. He'd seen this man for all of a few minutes, but already Bill knew this man was everything he had wished his Dipper had been for him and more.

"I'll be right back," the new Dipper said, knocking his sister playfully against her shoulder, "I'm gonna go dry off."

"No fair!," Mabel screeched. The sound didn't make Bill jump like usual though, not when the outburst was coupled with such a playful smile. "You're not even close to as soaked as I am bro bro!"

_'Good gosh this is weird, they even use the same nicknames.'_

Dipper ran into the house anyway, calling over his shoulder with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Sorry Mabel, winner gets bathroom dibs!"

Bill willed the portal to follow the man as he climbed up the stairs, hesitating briefly outside the bathroom door, but deciding to stick around when the door was left open.

Dipper reached into a cupboard and pulled out a towel, unbuttoning his damp shirt with his free hand. The muscles hidden underneath were subtle and lean, but definitely there. Bill blushed furiously and hid his eye in a hand. _'Maybe sticking around the bathroom wasn't such a good idea.'_

The demon peeked between his fingers, watching Dipper's shirt slip of his shoulders and the towel being rubbed furiously over his dripping hair, then a bit more gently over his clean shaven face. _'Then again...'_

There  was suddenly a rapid knock on the door frame, causing Bill to jump. It seemed Dipper's body had responded likewise, the man's hand gripping his chest in surprise.

"Jesus Bill, don't scare me like that!" he wheezed.

_'Bill?'_

Another man poked his head in, and Bill nearly had to do a double take. It was him, but not? This 'other Bill' shared the same short stature, same bronze skin. But there almost was no blue to be found, save for one icy eye, the other covered with a dark cotton eye patch. His hair was a tumbling mess of sandy blonde, his wardrobe a mix of black dress pants and a garishly yellow button down. A velvety black bow tie wound elegantly around his thin neck.

He shot Dipper a smile, one that was equal parts sharp and calculating, leaving a pit in Bill's stomach, it reminded him of the twins,  _his twins._

"Sorry Pine Tree," he chuckled, dropping a white and blue cap onto the man's still damp head, "I thought you might want this back."

Dipper gave the other Bill a grateful smile, "Thanks for keeping it dry for me." He paused a moment to adjust the hat's fit in the mirror, a blue pine tree emblem plainly visible in the reflection.  
  
The other Bill took the man's distracted state as a chance to sidle up behind Dipper, arms wrapping tightly around his bare waist. The brunette's face immediately turned a dark shade of red.  
  
"O-Oh h-hi Bill," he stammered.  
  
 _'Good gosh he's adorable.'_

__

The other Bill nuzzled his face into the man's neck with a purr. "I thought maybe we could go out into the woods today, go after that artifact you've been prattling on about for the past two weeks."

Dipper leaned into the man's touch at first, shifting the towel to his other hand so he could ruffle the demon's hair, but at the mention of the artifact he stilled. Letting out a nervous chuckle he explained, "There's no way in hell I'm letting you get anywhere near that thing."

The other Bill pouted into the boy's skin. "Come oooon kid," he drawled, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Dipper shot the smaller man a puzzled look over his shoulder, "Is that a trick question? Bill, this is  _you_ we're talking about, literally anything can go wrong."

The other Bill let out an exasperated groan. "Pine Tree, I'm bored!" he exclaimed, leaning his full weight against Dipper, as if his supposed boredom where physically pulling him down. "And what else is there to in this god forsaken town besides exploring that precious forest of yours?"

Dipper stumbled, pulled back by the sudden added weight of the man on his back. One he had caught his footing, he blew the air from his lungs out in a swift sigh. "Alright, alright, we'll go." he said, turning his head to give the demon a harsh glare, although it seemed somewhat half-hearted, "But I'm not letting you out of my sight, understand?"

The other Bill merely chuckled, rising up on his toes to give the taller man a kiss, the man's face heating instantly at the contact.

The other Bill smirked up at the boy's furious blushing. "Good boy," he purred.

Bill's shoulders stiffened. 'There's that stupid phrase again, he isn't some god damn pet!' Dipper couldn't see with the demon's face so close, but Bill saw clear as day the downright predatory grin stretched across his copy's lips. 'He looks just like-'

"Aw kid...." Bill breathed, the hand below the portal starting to tremble ever so slightly. He wanted to reach through the image, to pull the boy away, hide him from this man whose smile and words so closely resembled his own abuser's. _'He's just going to use you...probably already is...aw kid...no one deserves that...'_

__

Whatever that artifact was, Bill could tell the demon wanted it. And he knew the man before him was his best chance at getting it, or at least the easiest. What he wanted it for though, Bill had no idea.

The other Bill stopped hanging off of Dipper long enough to turn him around and kiss him more easily. But he stopped midway to the man's face, the hairs on his arms rising and his pupil bleeding into a dark crimson, the blue erased entirely.

  
“B-Bill,” Dipper stammered, clearly taken aback by the change in the demon. “W-What’s wrong?”

The blonde glanced around, his eyes narrowed. “Someone’s watching us,” he said slowly.

_‘Is he talking about me?’_

__

Dipper’s hands slid down to rest on the demon’s hips as his eye’s followed the other’s around the room. “But Bill, no one else is here.”

The other Bill gave him a tired look, slapping the top of the taller man’s head lightly. “Normally, your stupidity is downright hilarious, but this is just sad Pine Tree. You live at the edge of a magical forest for crying out loud! Don’t you think there are other ways to spy on someone?”

Dipper’s eyes widened, his lips parted slightly. “Oh...right. But, who would want to look in on us? I mean, I know we have a few enemies, but most of them are either too scared of you to stop by or locked up in prison, that doesn’t exactly leave a lot of suspects.”

The other Bill seemed to consider this for a moment, the red in his eye fading slightly as his thought’s distracted him from the perceived danger.

‘ _You should probably go Bill, it probably isn’t a good idea to piss this guy off, even if he is just another version of you…..but...the kid...’_

__

“As much as I hate to admit it Pine Tree, I don’t know. But whoever it is, they’re powerful, I can sense that much.” The last words came out as a near growl, his eye flashing back to it’s previous brilliant red.

Suddenly, the other Bill looked directly at the portal, his pupils shifting into impossibly thin slits. “There you are you little sneak,” he spat, pulling Dipper closer protectively. “Stay away from here, this meatsack is _mine!_ ”

Dipper tried to pull away, clearly disgruntled by the possessive outburst, but the demon didn’t seem like he would be letting go anytime soon, at least not with the portal still watching over them. “Bill, I don’t _belong_ to anyone! I-”

Bill didn’t stick around to hear the rest of the man’s protest. His yellow copy was staring at him with clearly murderous intent and he didn’t want to stick around to see if the other demon would try to make good on his threats. He didn’t close the portal though, instead zooming out until he saw the forest once again, the copy of Mabel sitting calm and oblivious on the porch, attempting to ring out her soaked hair.

Bill leaned back, his head tilting to rest against the trunk behind him. His rest was short lived however, when he heard a soft rustling in the bushes across from him. Every cell in his body was immediately on high alert, his ears and eyes scanning for any other sign of movement. He’d been sitting still too long, the twins must have-

“There you are!” a smooth voice cooed, a voice he knew all too well.

Bill bounced to his feet, his battered joints protesting quietly. “Stay-Stay away from me Dipper.”

The  man in question slipped out from behind a tree, his smile deceptively soft and shy. He placed his hands out in front of him, palms out, to show he was unarmed. It wasn’t a very reassuring gesture, considering those hands could just as easily be weapons themselves. “Bill, I’m sorry, just let me explain everything and we can go back to the house. I won’t hurt you I promise.”

Dipper took a step forward and Bill mirrored the movement, sidestepping to avoid the tree behind him. The anger from the night before boiled up in his throat, melding into the fear that ran chillingly through his veins.

"Don't you _dare_ ," he gasped, "Come near me again."

Dipper smiled at him sadly, continuing his advance. Bill held his ground though, the fingertips of his free hand fluttered with yellow fire, drawing the attention of the other man immediately. The demon's other hand continued to hold the portal aloft, he knew he should probably close it, but having it with him seemed to boost his courage. It was a stark reminder of everything he could have had, everything he knew he  _didn't_ have, would _never_ have. Without it, he feared he'd slip right back into old habits, overlooking the abuse in favor of blissful ignorance.

"Bill _please_ ," Dipper begged, his eyes lifting from the hell fire in the demon's hand, up to his scowling face. "Mabel isn't far off, you know she doesn't have my restraint. If you come with me I can talk her down, just-"

"Will you just shut up!" Bill screamed, his eye screwed shut, not daring to look up, to slow down. "I'm done! You can't trick me anymore, I'm not going back with you." He took a deep breath, willing himself to look at Dipper once more.

"Not now, not ever." The words were quieter this time, almost a whisper, but still just as firm. It felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders, even if he was still frustratingly far from being safe.

Dipper glared at him, his fingers twitching with rage. "You really are stupid," he spat, "I hope you like the basement, because that's all you see for the rest of your miserable existence." With that, the brunette lunged forward, one hand tangling in Bill's curls, pulling his head down painfully, the other grasping the wrist of his fire engulfed hand, holding it just out of firing range. The portal in the demon had been sputtered out in his surprise, leaving a faint afterglow of amber light.

Bill cried out as his hair was tugged back harshly and kicked out, knocking one of Dipper's legs out from under him. The taller man was sent him crashing to the debris covered ground. It worked for a moment, Dipper releasing his grip on the demon's arm, but then Bill was falling with him, his pastel hair still firmly clutched in Dipper's long fingers.

The demon landed on top of the boy and heard the breath rush painfully from Dipper's chest at the impact. Bill saw his chance. As the man beneath him struggled to pull oxygen back into his burning lungs, he brought a hand up to Dipper's forehead, right over his celestial birthmark. Closing his eyes he pushed a burst of magic through his fingers, effectively ending the struggles underneath him. Dipper's eyes fluttered shut as he was yanked into a forceful sleep, his breath slowing into a series of methodical puffs.

Bill leaned against the sleeping boy for a moment, attempting to catch his breath. The feeling of Dipper's body pressed against his own felt familiar, despite what had just happened, memories of the pair curled up in bed together flashing through the demon's mind. It struck him once more that he would never have a night like that again, at least not with the man sleeping beneath him. 'Now's not the time Bill, you have maybe a few hours before he wakes up and even then...Mabel might find you first. You need to move.'

The demon peeled himself off of Dipper's and brushed the first from his chest and pants. He looked himself over quickly, assuring himself he had no new bruises and quickly buttoned his shirt, noticing he'd never actually bothered to do so after fleeing the house. Dipper snored softly beneath the tree, his face calm, almost peaceful, an expression Bill never saw him wear in waking hours. He had spent full nights watching the boy, just to catch a glimpse that soft expression, but now he allowed himself to look _anywhere_ but directly at it. He knew looking would only make things harder. Despite himself, Bill still felt a nagging at the back of his head, willing him to stay and hope for mercy. He squashed down on the feeling, pushing it as far from his mind as possible.

_'Now what?'_

He could leave for the mindscape, the twin's couldn't follow him there. But...that meant leaving behind his human body,forgoing the physical realm entirely. Bill knew that if he left his body unattended then the twins would surely find it, holding onto it in hopes of his return. He'd effectively be trapped in his own realm....again, unable to procure another vessel. _'No, no there has to be something else, I am **not** getting stuck there again.'_

__

The demon slipped a hand through his hair, disclosing a few stray leaf bits, as he racked his brain for any other place of escape. His thoughts wandered back to the portal he had opened, to the other Dipper he had saw, to the other...Bill. His lip curled at the thought of the other demon, he was clearly using the kid. If he could only just step in and take his place....

The demon's eyes widened. It was possible, unlikely, but possible. A jump from one universe to the other required a lot of energy, and although not actually prohibited considering supernatural creatures didn't live by any particular rules, it was a generally frowned upon practice. Monsters didn't exactly like having their dimension invaded by outsiders and Bill could only recall a handful of incidents in which such a thing had actually occurred, and none of the had ended very well for the traveler. But, what else was there for him to do, where else could he go? If he stayed, he'd be on the run until the twin's died presumably and their punishments scared him far more than the possible consequences of jumping dimensions.

Bill held out a hand, willing the portal to open again. The yellow oval reappeared, casting a faint amber glow over the demon's arm. It's surface rippled to reveal a much dryer looking Mabel, lounging on the porch with her body stretched out in the sun like a cat. He could hear the sound of footsteps inside, presumably Dipper and the other Bill preparing for their trip into the woods.

Bill placed the portal on the ground and pinched the its top between the fingers of his other hand, pulling upwards. The disk expanded, following the demon's movement until it stood just as tall as he did. Bill released his grasp and closed his eye, focusing all his energy for the task ahead, he'd surely need a lot of it.

With a deep breath, and a quick glance at the sleeping man behind him, the demon took a timid step into the portal, the other dimension waiting just ahead.

**  
**  



	4. Chaoter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg this chapter was so much fun to write ;)

Bill’s feet tumbled forward. He was honestly surprised at how hard it was to keep one’s footing when jumping between dimensions. A second later, he was slipping out the opposite side of the portal, his black shoes hitting the grass at an odd angle. With a rather undignified yelp, the demon fell nearly face first into the dirt. He huffed, pushing himself up onto his elbows, body sagging with fatigue. As short as the walk had seemed, in reality, he had jumped literally from one plane of existence to the next, a distance so large, it was nearly impossible to measure, and it had absolutely drained him.

Bill looked up slowly, rubbing patches of dirt from his chest, grumbling at the stains it left behind.

Mabel was still sprawled on the porch, but her eyes were trained directly on him now, mouth agape. The demon squirmed a bit under the girl’s shocked gaze. Despite the unfamiliar expression, she still looked just like- _“No, no, she’s different, you’re safe now.”_

A second later, Mabel was darting across the lawn towards him. “Oh my gosh! Are you ok?” she asked, the words rushing out of her lungs a bit frantically. “You really don’t look okay,” she continued, as she scanned him up and down. The demon suppressed an amused chuckle. _‘Yeah, I know kid, don’t have to rub it in.’_

__

He gave her a reassuring smile, or at least tried to. He had started second guessing himself the moment the brunette's brown eyes had locked on him all the way from the porch. What had he even hoped to accomplish? Run in, save this other Dipper from his yellow doppleganger, and live a happy peaceful life in the Mystery Shack? Yeah, no, like hell that was ever going to happen. He knew what the most likely outcome would be and it involved a _very pissed off_ yellow-triangle-turned-human. _'Really should have thought this through a bit more...'_

Bill stuttered a moment as he tried to think of a response, his tongue letting out an incomprehensible jumble of syllables. _'Nope, please don’t mind the strange blue man appearing in your yard, this was clearly a bad idea, I’ll just be going now-’_

“I’ll be fine I just-"

The girl's eyes widened, their surface shimmering with sudden recognition. "Bill? Why are you so.... _blue_?"

"Shooting Star, I know the whole 'talking to yourself bit' is common for you brother, but just what the hell are you doing out he-"

The other Bill's eyes locked on him instantly, causing the blue demon to shift uncomfortably once more. He briefly considered running off into the woods as his copy's eyes flashed a brilliant red, pupils stretching into thin slits. "You!" he screeched, darting forward with inhuman speed, his hand grabbing a fistfull of the blue demon's stained shirt. Bill's feet lifted until he was on his toes, but he didn't quite leave the ground considering his copy didn't actually have any height on him. He let out a quiet hiss of pain as the rough handling jostled a few fresh bruises.

"I thought I told you to _back off_!"

Dipper rushed out of the house, following the sound of Bill's outburst, running up behind the pair. "Bill what the hell! You can't just attack random-" The boy cut off a soon as he caught a clear glance of just _who_ his significant other was holding. "Um Bill...what's going on," he asked, eyebrows raised.

The demon didn't bother to glance at the brunette, instead keeping his glare trained fully on his new target, free hand igniting in blue flame.

The blue haired man gulped audibly. _'Wow that looks a lot like Dipper's magi-'_

__

"I was just about to ask _him_ that!" the yellow demon spat. "Why in the hell were you spying? This is _my_ dimension, not yours, do you even know how many regulations you just broke?! I'm not one for following the rules either, but even _I_   wouldn't stoop this low!"

"I-It was an accident, I swear!" Bill spluttered, "A-At l-least the spying was I m-mean." 'Good gosh Cipher get that tongue of yours under control.'

"So, _he's_ the one from upstairs." Dipper confirmed. "Do you- Do you know him?"

Mabel jumped up behind her brother, eyes sparkling despite the tension. "Oh oh, is he your brother or something? Is that why you two look so alike?"

The blonde's glare finally left the blue demon, his head turning to shoot Mabel a puzzled look. "What? No, of course not," he growled. He let out a deep sigh then said, "You kids remember what I said about the multiverse?"

The twins nodded in unison. Dipper looked as though he might interrupt at any moment and curiosity was nearly rolling off him in waves, but he managed to keep his mouth shut, if only just barely.

"There are infinite versions of ourselves out there," the yellow demon started, his flaming hand extinguishing to gesture vaguely around them. "And...well...the two of you have just officially met one of my alters."

"Wait so does that mean you two are both named Bill?" Mabel asked, clearly unfazed by the idea of a second dream demon dropping into their yard unannounced. Dipper on the other hand, didn't seem to take the news quite as well. He'd grown tenser, waiting to see if this new demon was just as much of a threat as the one he already knew. As far as he was concerned, if one Bill was trouble, then two would be a disaster.

The blonde looked at Bill expectantly.

"Uh, well yeah I-uh I guess so," he choked out. His legs were starting to burn from being held on tip toes for so long and he briefly wondered if his copy was planning on dropping him anytime soon. It would be much appreciated.

"That's...confusing," Mabel said slowly.

The other Bill's mouth suddenly widen into a rather manic grin and the blue demon felt his heart speed up immediately. _'I don't think I like that lo-'_

"From now on, you'll be William," his copy stated.

Bill had flinched back, expecting an attack to follow that clearly (i) unhinged facial expression,but now his eye shot back open in both surprise and irritation. "Wait what? Why do you get to be Bill?"

"Becauuuuse," the yellow demon drawled, his one blue eye rolling dramatically, "I like that name and I'm not about to let some sniveling _copy_ steal that from me." With the way the other demon sneered at him, Bill, who was slowly accepting his new fate as William, could tell he wasn't just talking about the name. There was a threat hidden within his words: 'touch my stuff and you die.' The blue demon’s stomach sank, he knew the threat included Dipper too.

"Fine, keep the stupid name," William ground out.

Bill looked at him brightly with that same unnerving smile. "Good boy," he cooed, dropping William's shirt with a slight shove.

The push caused William to lose his footing, his body falling backwards into the grass. He let out a strangled yelp as a particularly sensitive bruise hit the ground. " _Don't_ say that to me, _ever_ ," he rasped, "I'm not some stupid pet."

_'Not anymore...'_

__

Bill acted as though he hadn't heard William's statement, his eyes cast down to examine his black painted nails. The twins however had been paying far closer attention, and at his yelp, Mabel had rushed forward, leaning down next to him.

"Oh my gosh, you're hurt!" she gasped.

William shifted up into a sitting position. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just bruising, I'm used to it."

The girl gaped at him for a moment, a bit taken aback by the final part of his explanation. But she quickly smoothed her features back into a cheery smile, taking one of William's hands in hers and lifting him to his feet. "Nonsense! I'm great with a first aid kit!" she beamed, pointing a finger back at her brother, who had continued to watch the blue demon nervously, "Mainly because this guy can't seem to keep himself out of trouble though."

"Hey!"

Mabel turned her head to her twin with a giggle, "It's true bro bro, you're kind of a mess."

Dipper scoffed and crossed his arms, head dipping to hide an embarrassed blush. Bill clapped a hand onto his shoulder, letting out an obnoxious snicker. "She's got a point Pine Tree."

"Whatever..."

"Aaaanyway," Mabel said, gripping William's hand a bit tighter, "Just come on into the shack, we'll get you fixed up."

Out of the corner of his eye, William saw Bill's eye flash red again. The yellow demon shot a hand out, pulling Mabel away from him. "Oh no Shooting Star, we will be doing no such thing. We're sending him home."

William's eye widened and he grabbed out, his hands fisting into Bill's shirt desperately. "No, please, I'll leave the town, leave the state even, whatever you want. I'll be out of your hair I promise, just please, please don't send me back there," he begged.

The red flickered out of Bill's eye instantly as he looked at the blue demon incredulously. "Do you honestly think I'm going to let someone like you run around free?" he sneered. "I don't care how weak you act,  you can't fool me. Unlike these pathetic meatsacks, I can sense your power, and it is anything _but_ weak and that makes you a threat." He paused a moment to poke William straight in the chest, just over the wound he had healed that morning, "Whatever mess you made back in your own world, you're going back and dealing with it."

William blinked hard, trying to push away the threat of tears, and let go of the other demon’s shirt. “I can’t go back,” he muttered, his loose curls bouncing against his cheeks as he shook his head.

Bill gave him a harsh glare, “Like hell you can’t! If you had enough power to get here, you have enough to get back. Now _leave_.”

Mabel stepped gingerly in between the pair, placing a hand on Bill’s chest to push him back gently. “Bill come on, can’t you see he’s freaked out? Whatever he’s running from, it has to be important,” she reasoned.

Dipper sidled up closer to the group then, no longer content to merely watch from the sideline. “What _are_ you running from exactly?” he asked skeptically.

William kept his eyes to the  ground, forcing himself not to look up at the twins. _'These aren't them, not them, not them-’_

__

“Um,  _who_ am I running from would be a better question,” he replied.

The demon continued to look down at his feet, the toe of one shoe digging a small rut into the dirt. He heard Dipper clear his throat across from him. “Well?” the boy hedged.

William's fingers tensed against his slacks and his shoulders hunched. He couldn't just tell them, couldn’t just explain to these seemingly nice brunettes that there were clearly homicidal versions of themselves hunting him down. _‘Yeah, that would go over real well.’_

__

“That-That’s not important,” he insisted.

Bill scoffed at him, but seemed to let it slide. “I’d press for details, but frankly, I don’t care. Shooting Star, you can patch him up or whatever, but after that, I’m sending him back.”

William started to protest, but was cut short as Mabel dragged him swiftly towards the house. Once they were a fair distance from the blonde she leaned in close and whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t let him do that." The blue demon gave her a warm, grateful smile, “Thankyou.”

She sat him down at the kitchen table, then started to turn, presumably going off to find the first aid kit, but William stopped her by tugging gently at the hem of her sweater. She turned around, a bit puzzled, and William cast his eyes downward with an embarrassed blush. “You uh-you don’t have to do that. The first aid stuff I mean. Like I said, it’s just bruising, not much you can do about that. I know some healing spells, I can fix it later.”

Mabel paused a moment to look him over. “Are you sure, you really don’t look ok,” she pressed, face drawn in concern. The expression startled William a bit, but not necessarily in an unpleasant way. It had been a long time since someone had shown him this much care, especially so shortly after meeting him. ‘This girl really is the opposite of the Mabel I know..’

“Yeah I’m fine.”

Bill stalked into the room then, Dipper following close behind, although in a much calmer manner. The male twin grabbed a notebook and pen from the pocket of his jacket and sat down across from the blue haired demon. Flipping open to a fresh page, he clicked the pen and looked up expectantly.

“Well, if you’re here, we might as well learn a few things,” he said with a smile. Bill grumbled from his corner of the kitchen, and William had the feeling he wasn’t too fond of his human being distracted by another demon.

Mabel’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Oh oh, is there a Mystery Shack where you live too? What are Dipper and I like? Is my bro bro still a big nerd?” she asked, the questions coming out in rapid fire.

Dipper shot his sister a look at the nerd comment and shushed her. “Mabel, slow down,” he grouched.

William gave the two a blank look, his mind whirring as he tried to think of exactly what answers he felt comfortable giving. “Well...um,” he started, ruffling a hand through his hair briefly before letting it rest on his neck, “The Shack  _does_ exist, you just don’t-uh- well um, different people live there. Gideon and Pacifica to be exact. Nice people I guess, never really talked to them much though. I wasn’t really allow-” The demon cut off suddenly, realizing that he’d gone a bit too far in his rambling. The twin’s didn’t seem to notice though as they were still trying to process the earlier part of his explanation.

“Wait _Gideon_? _Nice_? Never thought I’d hear those words spoken together,” Mabel said with a shudder. “Pacifica I could see, she has her moments after all, but not Gideon.”

"What's wrong with Gideon," William asked, the eyebrow above his white eyepatch raised quizzically.

"Oh, you know, he only tried to kill me," Dipper grumbled, his grip on the pen tightening. Mabel hummed in confirmation beside him. "And he has absolutely no clue how to take no for an answer," she added bitterly. "He's actually in prison right now."

William paled. "O-Oh." It was odd to think of the short stocky man he knew being in prison. The kid was just too, well...soft for something like that. The demon was especially disturbed by Dipper's comment. _'Geeze can't this kid get a break?'_

"Uh- yeah no, the Gideon in my world is definitely not in prison. He and Pacifica hunt and study the paranormal together actually."

Mabel clapped a hand firmly over her brother's shoulder, leaning down to show him a sparkling grin. "Hey that sounds just like us Dippin-sauce! Oh!" With a whip of her head she was staring brightly at William again. "Does that mean Pacifica designs clothes like I do?!"

William stared back at her blankly for a moment before composing himself. "Uh, yeah. I mean, I think so? Like I said, I don't exactly _know_ them."

"Wait, if Pacifica and Gideon took our places, then does that mean we took theirs?" Dipper asked, his pen scribbling over the page before him. "And where do you fit into all this?"

"Well, neither of you are in prison if that's what you're asking," William muttered, squirming a bit under the twins' expectant stares.

"So what do we do then?" Mabel pressed.

William sunk further into his seat. "W-Well you guys work at the Tent of Telepathy." _'Gosh I don't want to talk about this.'_ "Um, the town really uh, l-likes you b-but..." _'Can I please stop talking now, someone shut me up please.'_ "You aren't e-exactly um...well." He stopped to run a hand through his hair anxiously. "You aren't really the n-nicest-" he started, eyes cast towards the linoleum floor.

Bill poked his head over William's shoulder suddenly, causing the blue demon to jump in his seat with a gasp. "You're afraid of them aren't you?" he asked simply. His gaze wasn't condescending, or even amused. Bill's features were almost completely blank, which was surprisingly just as unnerving as his other expressions.

"I-I um well....I mean," William stuttered.

Dipper's head lifted up from his notebook slowly, his eyebrows knit together. "Were we...Were we the ones you were running from?" he asked slowly. The pen in his hand was twisting between his fingers and his lips were slightly pursed, as if he were still trying to work the idea out in his head.

William nodded timidly. "Y-yeah. Um..."

The blue demon felt a hand in his hair, pulling in a way that wasn't exactly gentle, but wasn't rough either. He tensed; despite the lack of violence in the movement, it easily reminded him of Dipper's harsh grasp from only minutes before. His eye met Bill's as the blonde guided his head back so that he was looking up at the yellow demon's face. The expression there was still decidedly blank, only adding to William's unease.

Dipper seemed to notice that the man across from him had gone stiff and eyed him worriedly. "Bill I don't think you should do that, you're freaking him out."

The blonde chuckled, his mask breaking into a small smirk. "Good." His hand stayed locked in Bill's semi-long curls, his grip tightening ever so subtly. _'Breath, just breath, you're safe, don't freak out.'_

"I find it hard to believe that a pair of fleshsacks scare you that much, but, considering how pathetic you've been acting, I think I might understand," he mocked.

"Bill, leave him alone," Dipper groaned, fingers reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Shush Pine Tree, I'm trying to get things straight," the blonde spat. He leaned in close to the other demon, his breath hot across William's cheeks. "There _must_ have been another place for you to run, so why the hell are you _here_ of all places?"

"No, there wasn't anywhere else," he insisted, voice wavering slightly. "If I left my body for the mindscape they'd destroy it and I wasn't about to let myself get trapped there again. I'm sure you at least know _something_ about that. No vessel, no physical world right?"

Bill stiffened and his hand relaxed its grip some from his hair. William took that as a yes and pressed on, "And I couldn't get out of the Falls either...they uh- they bound me to the town a few years ago and-"

The blonde yanked his hand away suddenly, eye wide. "Wait, they _bound_ you? That-That's not...Hardly _any_ humans should be able to pull that off with a demon as strong as we are! What the hell is going on with those kids?!" he spluttered.

William pulled his head back up, rubbing his neck where the back of the chair had dug in. "They're talented, it's as simple as that. Why do you think I'm so afraid of them?"

"But why are they hunting you down?" Mabel asked.

"Power I guess. They tricked me into trusting them and took me in, kept me weak with the wards placed throughout the house. They were just biding their time until they found out how to steal my powers."

Mabel gasped quietly, a loose fist hovering near her mouth. "That's awful! Bill you can't send him back!"

"I can and I will Shooting Star."

Mabel glared at him harshly and William shivered, he knew that glare well, although he noted that even when angry, this Mabel still lacked any sort of malicious air. "No, you will not! He needs our help, he's staying here!"

Bill leaned in towards her, clearly unphased by her irritation. "What? So you're just going to trust any demon that comes in with some bullshit sob story? That's a good way to get yourself killed kid," he sneered.

"I trusted you didn't I?" she retorted.

"My point exactly."

"He has a point Mabes," Dipper admitted. William looked over at him, silently willing him to change his mind. _'Please don't send me back...'_

__

"I don't know how I can prove myself to you, but please believe me when I say I mean the three of you no harm," he said standing up slightly, chest leaning over the table towards Dipper.

"What about the rest of the town?" the male twin pressed.

"All safe. I won't hurt a soul I promise. I know demons are known for wreaking havoc, but that's not what I do, I keep to myself."

"Clearly," Bill mocked, "How are you even considered a demon? It's sad." Dipper shot the blonde another glare, but otherwise the comment was ignored.

"Come on Dipper, please," Mabel begged."Besides if he stays here, you'll be able to keep an eye on him. He can't do anything if you're watching him right."

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, lips pursed in thought. "I guess that makes sen-"

"No!" William jumped up fully at Bill's outburst, the chair behind him tumbling to the floor with a loud clatter. The blonde grabbed William by the shirt collar then and began to drag him out towards the front door. "He is _not_ staying here!"

Dipper ran after them, tugging roughly on Bill's sleeve. "Jesus Bill, let him go!"

The demon growled,but halted nonetheless, shoving William out of his grasp. The blue demon stumbled back and smashed into the wall beside the backdoor. Bill brushed past him briskly, muttering out a harsh, "I'll be back later," before stalking off into the yard, presumably headed towards the woods.

Dipper crept up to William slowly, one hand outstretched, as if he were a spooked deer that might run off at any moment. "Hey man you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he assured, massaging the spot on his back that had hit the wall hardest with one hand. "So, does...does this mean I can stay?" he asked hopefully, amber eye lifting to meet Dipper's.

The brunette's worried expression melted into a small reassuring smile. He guided William back to the kitchen, one hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, you can stay."

_'Thank-you...'_

********************************

By late evening, Bill still hadn't returned. The twin's had told him not to worry. "He'd kind of a big baby," Mabel had said with a smirk, "Just gotta let him work through his tantrum."

The little trio had eaten dinner in the kitchen without the blonde, the twins telling William all about what the town was like and thankfully steering clear of asking him any questions about his own dimension. It had been interesting hearing the brunettes recalling all their past adventures, William listening intently as they highlighted the best of the best from their years in Gravity Falls.

Now William sat on the edge of a soft bed, in a room that had apparently belonged to their Grunkle. At least it had until the man had retired and moved back to California to live closer to his nephew. The blue haired demon stood up slowly, unbuttoning his shirt as he inched up towards a full length mirror. 'I really need to heal some of this...'

The fabric slipped off the man's shoulder's to reveal a torso pocked with a myriad of bruises, burns, and raised scars. William sighed, eyeing his reflection with a grimace, and ran a finger over a few of the raised lines.  He dropped the hand quickly, not wanting to dwell on what and who exactly had made the marks. After taking a moment to reel his thoughts back in, William muttered a quiet looping incantation, fingers hovering over a string of bruises. The relief was immediate and a gentle sigh escaped his throat involuntarily.

He was halfway finished healing the bruises when he heard the door open, a startled gasp following close behind. William whirled around to see Dipper, who was trying, and ultimately failing, to hide his shocked expression.

“Um, you ok Dipper?” William asked. It hadn’t occurred to him that the boy had never seen his scars. He hadn’t hidden them back home, wouldn’t have been allowed to even if it had been what he wanted. The thought to cover them up had never even crossed his mind.

The brunette pulled his eyes back up to William’s face with a bit of effort, forcing on a smile. “U-Um y-yeah. I just..uh thought you might want to sleep in something other than dress pants,” he stammered, holding a small bundle of clothes out towards the shorter man.

William gave the boy a bright smile in the hopes that it might calm him down. “Thank you, I appreciate it,” he said, one hand tugging at the leg of his trousers, “These aren’t exactly the most comfortable things out there.”

Dipper shuffled uncomfortably, but tried to return the smile nonetheless, “Yeah, uh, they might be a little long though. I didn’t think Bill would appreciate you borrowing his clothes, so I just grabbed some of mine.”

_'I think he’d appreciate me wearing his boyfriend’s clothes even less…’_

__

“Anyway,” the brunette started, “Mabel can take you out to get some clothes tomorrow. There’s a thrift shop in town that has a lot of nice stuff if you know how to look.”

William took the bundle from the boy and grimaced. “No, you guys don’t have to do that. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Dipper laughed, giving the demon a much more genuine smile. “Dude, we aren’t going to have you stay in those same stained clothes if you’re going to be staying here. It’s no problem really," he assured.

"Thank you, but isn't there some way I could pay you back?" William insisted.

The boy rocked back on his heels. "Well, we could always use help in the shop," he suggested, "We're a bit short staffed at the moment, would that make you feel better?"

"Uh yeah, I think I can do that," William chuckled.

Dipper's eyes drifted back to the scars on the demon's skin, smile fading and eyes uncertain. A brief moment of silence passed as the boy seemed to weigh the option of whether or not to speak. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it," he finally hedged, "But...did we- did we really do all that to you?" The boy's fingers twitched nervously at his sides and he lowered his eyes quickly, realizing that William probably didn't want him to stare.

"Your alters did if that's what you're asking," the demon conceded. He puffed out his cheeks, letting the air rush out of his lungs quietly as one hand fiddled idly with his hair. "They uh- it was all kind of a mix of target practice and keeping me in line..."

Dipper glowered at the floor. "You didn't deserve that," he nearly growled. There was something in the boy's voice that hinted he'd faced antagonizers before, schoolyard bullies perhaps. He met William's gaze slowly, face drawn and somewhat uncertain. "You haven't been here very long but you seem a lot more.... _human_ , than Bill is."

William blinked at the boy, a bit taken aback. "Um, thank you...I think? Is that- Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah, yeah it is," Dipper chuckled. "Bill is...well, he definitely lives up to his title as a demon."

The brunette shifted over so he could sit on the end of the bed, motioning for William to follow. The red quilt beneath them was soft and worn. The demon let his fingers run over its surface, the threads tickling against his skin. _'I wonder if Mabel made this...'_

"So there wasn't- you couldn't get out?" The boys voice was almost a whisper, his gaze once again locked to the floor.

"No, I...They made sure I couldn't get by without them and told me they cared. I thought I didn't have any other options so I just kind of...accepted it. The Dipper from my world...I uh," the demon broke off, blushing slightly, "I cared about him a lot, as stupid as that sounds. Stockholm syndrome I guess."

William could feel the other man's eyes on him, but couldn't find it in him to meet the gaze. A blanket of shame had wrapped around his shoulders, pressing down and nearly stealing the breath from his lungs. He couldn't believe he was admitting all of this to someone he barely knew, a stranger wearing the face of someone familiar, but still a stranger none the less. _'He must think I'm pathetic, what other conclusion could he possibly have?'_

There was a stretch of silence for a few moments then Dipper asked, "So, what finally convinced you to leave?"

William blinked away the mist threatening to overtake his vision and took a small shallow breath. "I...I came home from cleaning up the Tent after one of the twins' shows and  overheard them talking about me. Turns out Dipper had...he'd been lying to me. Everything about us, our whole relationship was just...fake."

The demon started shifting away from the brunette beside him, a restless ball of embarrassment and regret churching around his stomach. "I didn't wanna believe it," he quavered, "I tried to ignore it, again. I was so stupid, I knew he was lying and I still tried to force everything back together, even when he-" The demon's voice stuck in his throat, as though he were physically incapable of admitting to what had happened next, the fire, the sensation of feeling his skin burn.

His head dropped and he tried to get up, get away, _'Running, always running'_ , a sudden feeling of panic filling him bone deep. He knew he wasn't in danger, not here, but just thinking back to that night made his fingers jitter and his breathing pick up in pace. And the man sitting on the bed certainly wasn't helping. William's thoughts warred back and forth, jumping from strangled cries of ' _He looks just like him!'_ to a weird mix of embarrassment and longing, ' _He's everything I'd wished I'd had...'_

The demon tugged desperately at his hair, a few stubborn tears managing to leak out from his amber eye, from underneath his patch. "I was so stupid. I was- I-" He was cut off by a pair of firm hands gripping his shoulders, spinning him around gently until he was facing Dipper again. The boy was hunched over slightly so that their faces were at the same level, but the demon still refused to look up.

"Hey, it's ok, _you're_ ok," he assured. William shook his head, his breathing still much too fast. "No, I'm not I-" He felt his chin being lifted upwards and shut his eyes tight.

"William I need you to look at me," Dipper coaxed. His voice was soft and comforting, it sounded so foreign to the demon. He wanted to curl up into the brunette's arms and hide, hide until he forgot everything. _'But you don't even know him, you're just setting yourself up again...'_

William swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in his throat back down before he choked. He opened his eyes slowly and had to blink away a few tears before Dipper came into focus.

The boy gave his shoulder a light squeeze, "Just breath ok? In and out." William sucked in a lungful of air, breath hitching occasionally before he let it out slowly. Dipper gave him a reassuring smile. "Yeah just like that," he murmured.

The room was silent as the demon slowly regained control of his breathing, neither man moving and Dipper offering the occasional word of comfort or encouragement.

"I- I'm so sorry about all that," the demon finally croaked, "I didn't mean to get so worked up, I-"

"No, no don't apologize," Dipper stammered. He looked down briefly, his cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. "I um...I get panic attacks a lot so this is kind of normal for me. Mabel has to calm me down a lot," he said, arms finally falling from William's shoulders. The demon had to resist the urge to pull him back in.

"If anyone should be sorry, it would be me. I shouldn't have pried, I apologize."

William gaped at the boy momentarily, not used to such a sudden turn in conversation. He was (i) always the one to blame as far as the twins were concerned. It felt nice to finally have someone else take the fault.

"It's fine, it was gonna have to come out eventually," William assured, not wanting to risk making the man feel guilty. 'It's not like he meant for this to happen...'

"Well better it be me asking than Bill I guess," Dipper chuckled.

The thought of the blonde interrogating him sent a shiver down William's spine. "Yeah, definitely better."

Dipper glanced back at the shut door warily, "I should probably get going before Bill comes back, I don't think he'd be too happy to see me alone with you." It sounded as though he were trying to make a joke, but the words just came out sounding fearful. William's heart ached for the kid, he knew the feeling well, knew that putting on a brave face didn't really help.

"I'm sorry for interrupting whatever it was you were doing," Dipper said.

The demon was quickly snapped out of his thoughts. "What? Oh no, don't apologize. I was just healing some of uh...this," he said, gesturing vaguely at his torso.

William could see the kid's eyes brighten instantly. "You mean like magically?" he asked eagerly. The demon chuckled and nodded. "Yeah magically."

Dipper flushed, his hand stroking absently at his other arm, "I probably sound like a huge nerd right now but, do you think maybe, if it's not too much trouble that is, maybe I could- watch you use that spell sometime?" he spluttered.

William's heart fluttered at the boy's flustered words. _'Gosh you are adorable...'_

The kid kept rambling, he was on a roll now. "You see...uh Bill doesn't really show me anything besides his basic powers, he's really secretive about his magic which is really weird considering how much of a show off he is. I've been begging him to teach me, but he just keeps brushing me off. I know I can do it though, I mean I've already-," he paused to take a breath, the flow of words halting before picking up speed again.

The boy's eyes were wide and excited, his face stretched into a triumphant grin as he continued, "I've already learned all the spells in the Journals. Most of them aren't too helpful for daily adventuring though. So I thought maybe since Bill wouldn't teach me, maybe you would?"

The demon simply stared for a moment, too caught up in watching the lively display. Dipper must have misread the silence however as he quickly began to backtrack, nearly tripping over his own words, "I mean y-you don't have to. I just uh- um I mean- If you don't want to- I-If it's too much trouble I can-"

William placed a hand over the brunette's mouth, the boy's lips tickling his palm for a moment as the nervous rambling died away. "It's be my pleasure to teach you," he assured, then removed his hand.

Dipper beamed down at him and started to walk towards the door. "Oh my god thank you, this- this is gonna be awesome. I really should go though," he started, pausing with his hand curled around the doorknob. "How about we pick things up tomorrow?"

William easily returned the infectious smile. "Absolutely."

And with that the brunette gave an excited little hop and slipped out the door, leaving behind a very enamored dream demon.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys, this chapter gave me a bit of trouble. Oh btw, someone was asking, so i wanted to clear it up for anyone else who might be wondering, Dipper and Mabel are about 23 and Bill and William are about 25 (at least physically)

William paused by the doorway of the kitchen. He could easily hear Bill and Dipper, bickering over exactly why "No Bill, I am not putting that in the pancakes, that's disgusting." It was lighthearted enough of a conversation, yet the demon still hesitated. He knew for a fact that he was the last thing his copy wanted to see. Bill hadn't returned to the house until well after twelve o'clock, but had still managed to find Dipper awake. The encounter had lead to a rather....heated argument over William's continued presence. The blue haired demon was a bit surprised Mabel hadn't woken up to pull them apart. But eventually the arguing died down, with a rather suspicious abruptness, leaving the house to sleep in peace. Or at least as peaceful as it could get with two dream demon's under the same roof.  
  
William took a deep breath and stepped out into the kitchen. The subtle scent of cooking pancakes that had been wafting down the hall now hit him full force, making his mouth water. "Uh, good morning," he started, being sure not to look at Bill for too long.

The blonde grunted and Dipper turned from his station at the stove, shooting William a bright, yet slightly apologetic smile. "Morning. Sleep well?"

"He doesn't sleep Pine Tree," Bill scoffed. "His body might shut down like one of you pitiful meatsacks but he's technically still conscious, floating around in the mindscape. I'm actually a bit surprised I didn't find him running around in there." William could easily glean from the demon's tone that he certainly wasn't disappointed by their lack of an encounter.

Dipper's brows furrowed for a moment, as if Bill had never bothered to share this information with him before. The demon caught his boyfriend's eye and shrugged. "What? It just never came up before."

The brunette sighed, but decided to drop it, from what he had told William the night before, it seemed somewhat normal for the blonde to avoid explaining his demonic abilities. "You want some pancakes William?" Dipper asked, shifting his gaze back away from the demon at the table. "They're chocolate chip."

William's stomach growled in response, earning a laugh from the man. "I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled.

William felt heat rise to his cheeks instantly at his body's unexpected outburst. "Uh thanks."

"They would have been better if you just let me add hot sauce to them," Bill grumbled, pouring some of the offending condiment over the food on his plate. The red paste seeped into the squishy breakfast food and William shuddered.

"No, no they would not," Dipper grimaced. "I get that you like that stuff but why in the hell would you mix it with chocolate, that's just disgusting."

Bill glared halfheartedly at the man. "Because," he drawled, as if the answer should be obvious, "it makes my tongue feel all firey and it's probably one of the most hilarious sensations this flesh vessel has let me experience yet. I'm surprised you human's don't put it on everything, it's honestly an amazing invention."

"You're insane," Dipper mocked, placing another plate of pancakes across from the blonde and motioning for William to sit. Bill simply huffed and made a somewhat over dramatic show of biting into the tainted flapjacks.

"Yeah, I think I'll just stick to syrup," William said, cracking a small smile in Dipper's general direction. The facial expression faltered only seconds later though as he caught sight of Bill's nearly murderous stare. _'This is gonna be a long day...'_

 

“Shop’s closed today,” Dipper informed.  “It always is on Wednesday. Our Grunkle may have been ok working with no breaks, but Mabel and I sure as hell aren’t,” he chuckled, using a spatula to flip over one of the frying cakes.

****

"Speaking of free time, we gonna go after that artifact today or what Pine Tree?" Bill asked, eyes never leaving William's.

The brunette stiffened slightly in front of the stove, glancing worriedly over his shoulder before refocusing on the pan before him. "Um yeah sure. Just...we can't get back too late."

Bill raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What, you got plan's or something kid?" he demanded.

Dipper pulled a cloth from the counter to wipe his batter smeared hands and turned to give the demon a sheepish look. "Well um, about that. I may have asked William to teach me a bit of healing magic and-"

There was a sudden clatter as Bill slammed a fist on the table, his plate jumping up for a brief moment along with the two other men. "Pine Tree," the blonde growled, "What have I told you about learning magic?"

The brunette seemed to pale visibly and William shrunk back in his seat, wishing he knew of some possible way to diffuse the tension. "I-I k-know you said it's dangerous," Dipper stammered, "But it's just a healing spell, nothing more I promise."

"Y-yeah, and I won't let him get hurt," William added, surprising even himself as his eyes locked with Bill's instead of shifting away.

Bill was the first to break the contact by taking an angry bite out of his overly spiced pancakes. "You think I'm actually going to trust you with him?," he sneered, "You might have won over these idiots with your stupid sob story, but I'm not so easily tricked."

Dipper tossed the rag he'd been holding back onto the counter and crossed his arms. "Bill, I'm not letting you talk me out of this. You always complain about how weak I am anyway, shouldn't this be a good thing?"

The yellow demon pushed back from the table with a huff and dumped his uneaten food into the trash. "You know what fine," he spat, "Have fun getting yourself killed." With that he stormed out of the room, his footsteps echoing as he ascended the stairs towards the attic. Dipper sighed and tried to call out after him, only to be met with the echoing slam of a door moments later. Mabel chose that exact moment to stride into the room, confusion plastered onto her face. "What's got him in such a grouchy mood," she asked.

"He's just pissed because William agreed to teach me some magic," Dipper explained. His sister's eyes lit up with recognition almost immediately and she gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "Aw just ignore him Dippin Dots, he's just being a party pooper," she assured.

The male twin gave her a thankful smile, although both she and William could tell it was forced. "Thanks Mabes, I just- I get a bit uneasy when he's angry, you know what he's like."

Mabel plopped down in the chair Bill had previously occupied, accepting an overflowing plate from her brother as he sat down next to her with his own stack. "Aw Dip, you know he'd never lay a finger on you," she said, lazily sprinkling her breakfast with powdered sugar.

"It isn't me I'm worried about," Dipper muttered and William certainly didn't miss the fleeting glance the boy shot his way. Neither did Mabel apparently. "Bro bro, William's a demon too, a strong one as far as Bill can tell. He isn't just gonna mess with that over some stupid magic lessons."

There was a moment of awkward silence until William felt sharp kick to his shin and caught Mabel's sickly sweet smile from across the table. "O-ow! Uh y-yeah sure, I mean demon's are pretty territorial though so I wouldn't be entirely surprised if-" The demon was cut off by another swift kick from the female twin. "Gah- ow! Ok, ok! Geeze, fine I agree," William pouted.

Dipper raised an eyebrow at his sister which she returned with a sheepish grin. "Mabel, please stop kicking our guest."

The girl scoffed. "Pshh what me nooo, I wasn't-" She was cut short as her brother's hand clamped over her mouth. "I know you're trying to be helpful Mabel," the boy smirked, "but we really don't need to bruise him anymore than he already is." Unable to fully vocalize, Mabel simply hummed in agreement.

The girl's eyes suddenly glinted with mischief however and her brother was swiftly backpedaling, rubbing his hand vigorously against his shirt. "Ack! Mabel that's disgusting!" he screeched. His twin simply beamed back at him, tongue darting out to lick away a bit of spittle. "That's what you get for putting your hand near my mouth Dipstick!" she cackled.

The boy sighed and with a final wipe of his hands, returned back to his seat. He only managed to make it through a single bite of his pancakes when his sister's hand darted out to tug at his shirt collar. Dipper jumped back in surprise and would have easily fallen to the floor had William not rushed to steady him with a free hand.

Mabel's eyes were as wide as saucers, her lips stretched into a sly smirk. "Did you really think you could hide these from me Dip Dop?" she demanded, poking his neck in various places to a chorus of 'boops' and 'bwomps'. The male twin began to blush furiously and pulled up the collar of his pajama shirt, attempting to recover the tiny splotches of reddish purple bruising that covered his collarbone and neck. The reaction only succeeded in forcing out a flood of laughter from his sister, who only just managed to choke out, "Jesus Christ Dipper, that's even worse than the time I tried practicing on that leaf blower!"

_'Wait did she just say she was- nope okay, no, not going there.'_

The demon quickly distracted his thoughts by giving Dipper a mirror image of Mabel's smirk. "Well now I know why your fighting broke up so suddenly last night," he chuckled lowly.

The boy's cheeks somehow managed to flush an even deeper shade of red, the color bleeding up even to the tips of his ears. He quickly pulled his shirt up a little higher, as if the extra fabric might still be able to conceal his current state, and snatched his plate off the table. "You know what, maybe I should eat upstairs," he mumbled, "Someone has to calm Bill down before he burns something or-". The male cut off suddenly, his embarrassed gaze flicking to William just before he turned to shuffle awkwardly out into the hall. The demon stared after him, debating over whether the flash of concern he'd seen in the boys eyes had been imagined or not.

"Aw Dip, come on we were just teasing," Mabel called, only to have her brother continue his retreat. "Dipper!"

"Umm," William squeaked, finally starting to register exactly what the man had said, "Does he really _burn_ stuff when he's mad?"

Images of Dipper Gleeful, hands alight with magical flames, danced at the peripherals of his mind, making him shiver. The movement caught Mabel's attention and her eyes softened. Although unaware of the demon's scared flesh, his tone alone gave Mabel the distinct impression that the man before her was no stranger to fire (and God only knew what else).

"Hey, you don't have to be scared of him," she assured, a warm hand settling over his own. "We won't let him hurt you."

William blanched, fingers gripping the table tightly as memory after memory continued to struggle their way to the forefront of his thoughts. He could feel them pushing, a tidal wave ready to burst through the dam at a moment's notice. "That wasn't a no," he croaked.

Mabel squeezed his fingers between her own. "He's never hurt anybody you know," she said softly, "At least not since he started living here."

The demon pulled his hand back slowly. It was all just too weird, seeking comfort from those who so closely resembled his tormentors. It didn't feel right. "And....before then?"

The brunette frowned down at her now empty hand, but her gaze remained sympathetic. "Well, he  _is_ a demon William."

"And so am _I_!" William spat, rising abruptly, "Don't act like that's some sort of excuse!" Mabel was silent as a pleading amber eye met her own brown ones, "It doesn't matter  _what_ he is, not when there are people out there who are just as bad!” He paused for a moment, gaze shifting away and voice lowering to a near whisper, “Maybe even worse…..”

“William…” Mabel started, but was quickly cut off by the demon who rushed out a quick “Dipper said you would be taking me out today, I should go get ready,” before disappearing down the hall.

**************************************************************

Mabel and William came back to the shack several hours later, each carrying plastic bags full of thrifted clothes. The blue haired demon was sporting a new outfit, having opted to ditch his stained and tattered clothes as soon as possible. Mabel decided that the clothing was definitely very _William_ (and by extension also very _Bill_ ) from the blue button down covered in tiny eyes (which the female twin was still baffled as to how he had been able to find) to the black shorts and matching knee high socks to the black bowtie they had picked up at a nearby store. The demon had even pulled his curls back into a low ponytail with a borrowed tie from Mabel, a his long bangs and a few strands by his ears remaining loose. All in all, Mabel thought he looked absolutely adorable.

Apparently, so did Dipper. As soon as the male brunette caught sight of the newly decked out demon his face had flushed a bright shade of pink as he stuttered out a strangled, “W-wow Wil, you look g-great.” William took a quick glance down at himself, cheeks instantly burning. “Y-you really think so?” he asked hopefully. Mabel rolled her eyes and clapped a hand on the demon’s shoulder, “Duh, of course he does silly, you look hot!”

Dipper’s eyes widened and William nearly choked on the very air he was breathing. “Mabel!”

“Aw come on Dip Dot, you know I’m right,” the twin teased.

 

“I’m not dignifying that with a response,” Dipper muttered. He crossed his arms and shifted his gaze away with a pout.

“That wasn’t a noooo-ooo,” Mabel sang, wiggling her brows suggestively. Dipper scoffed and got up to leave, “You are so damn lucky Bill isn’t here to hear you right now,” he said. Then casting a quick glance over to William, “I’ll be in my room dude, come up whenever you wanna start those lessons, you know...if you’re still up for that.”

The demon gave the man a small smile. “Yeah, of course I’ll be up in a bit.”

As soon William heard Dipper’s footsteps ascending the stairs he turned to Mabel. “What the hell was that about?” he hissed.

Mabel looked over at him innocently, “What the hell was what?”

William shot her an irritated glare. “ _T_ __ _hat!_   With your brother. Just now. Why in the name of all that is demonic would you say that to him!”

Mabel giggled furiously at the man’s choice in wording, one hand unsuccessfully attempting to cover it up. “Because,” she cooed, “I know you like him, and don’t you dare try to deny that, I’ve seen the way you act around him.”

William covered his face with both hands and groaned, “Mabel please don’t. He already has Bill and-”

Mabel held up a finger to shush him, gaze hardening for a moment before just as suddenly melting into concern. “That’s the other reason,” she started slowly. “William, Bill isn’t good for Dipper. He’s gonna get hurt, I just know it. I’ve been trying really, _really_ hard to trust Dipper’s judgement on this, but I just _can’t_.”

William gave her an incredulous look. “And how am _I_ any better? You barely know me...besides, I’m still a demon,” he muttered, plopping his bag down onto the table next Mabel’s. “You said so yourself, demon’s hurt people. Can’t be trusted,” he finished, staring the girl dead on.

Mabel shifted uncomfortably, feet scuffing against the kitchen’s linoleum floor. “You know Wil, I thought about what you said this morning and...well I think you might be right. I’m sorry about what I said, it’s just that Bill is the only other demon we’ve met. And considering all the lore, well..I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”

The demon’s eye softened and he allowed the tension in his shoulders to ease slowly. “Thank you. But that still doesn’t explain why-”

“Wil, it’s been less than twenty-four hours and you’ve already proved that you’re Bill’s opposite in practically every way.” Mabel interrupted.

“I-I have?”

“Yeah, mostly. At the very least I can tell you aren’t going to take advantage of my brother. Bill on the other hand…” The girl broke off slowly, drawing out her final words as her gaze drifted to the hall, as if she half expected the other demon to be waiting there, listening in.

“Just, if anyone can get him away from that manipulative equilateral asshole, it’s gonna be you.” she confided.

William gaped, a nonsensical stream of syllables tumbling out of his open mouth before he managed to stutter out a quiet, “Wha-? W-Why me?”

The smile Mabel gave the demon was small, but caring, and most importantly, sincere. She took a step towards him, leaning into to whisper into his ear. “Because, not counting Bill, he hasn’t acted this flustered in front of anyone since his little preteen crush on our friend Wendy,” she giggled.

The demon felt his cheeks begin to burn again and he tried to hide them behind his hands. “I-um I should probably- wait really?” he stammered.

“You boy’s are honestly so blind,” Mabel sighed. She jumped up onto the counter and leaned her head towards the demon, fluffy brown locks tumbling over her shoulder. “And that,” she stated pointedly, “Is why you all need my matchmaking skills!”

With a nod and a chuckle, William began to back out towards the hall, “I’ll take your word for it Mabel, just….let me handle this ok?” He waited a moment for the girl’s confirmation, then slipped out of the kitchen, ready to start his lessons with the other twin (and maybe a bit eager to start (i) another sort of adventure, inspired by Mabel’s pep talk).

Just as he’d said, Dipper was waiting for the demon up in his attic bedroom. The brunette was sprawled on on the bed, stomach down, pouring over the faded pages of a thick red-covered book. His brows were furrowed as he scanned the pages, a pen poised at the corner of his mouth and a pad of paper at his side. He hadn’t seemed to notice the opening door, leaving William standing there, slightly awestruck by the boy before him. _“This kid is going to kill me, honestly…’_

__

After a few moments passed with the demon remaining unnoticed, he cleared his throat quietly. Dipper’s head snapped up, the pen dropping from between his teeth. “Oh hey sorry,” he chirped, flipping the book shut and shoving both it and his other supplies to the side, “Hope you weren’t standing there too long.”

William smiled brightly. As soon as he’d looked up, the boy’s eyes had lit up, as though he were a small child about to receive a treat. _‘Absolutely adorable...’_ “No, no, not at all. How’d your artifact search go?”

Dipper groaned and rubbed at the back of his neck. “That’s actually what I was just working on. We kinda came up empty handed. The Author was just so  _vague_ about all of it,” he said, fingers brushing along the Journal’s faded red cover. “Hell, we don’t even know what the thing (i) is! All they did was leave directions, and pretty crappy ones at that.”

William shifted slightly, one hand gripping awkwardly at the elbow of his other arm. “You think maybe they did that for a reason? Maybe they didn’t _want_ it to be found. Maybe...he was trying to hide it from a certain someone...” he suggested.

Dipper raised a brow, head swiveling towards the demon. “Bill. You mean Bill.” William dropped his gaze and shrugged, “Well yeah, he seems pretty intent on finding it, it has to be important to him _somehow_.”

Slim fingers came to pinch at the brunettes eternally red nose, inching tightly. “I know he and the author had...a past. But...if what you’re saying is true, why include the entry at all? It just seems to risky.”

The demon took a few steps into the room, sidestepping a pile of old clothing. “Maybe as a reminder, I don’t know,” he murmured. He was just as clueless as the boy, maybe more so, considering how little he knew about the Journal, or its author for that matter.

Dipper groaned and flopped onto his back. “Uhhg, this is turning out to  be a hell of a lot more complicated than I anticipated. Let’s just drop it for now, otherwise I think my brain is gonna melt.”

William chuckled at the man’s dramatics. “You ready to get started then?”

Dipper nodded vigorously and sat back up, “Yeah man totally, just ah,” he broke off, looking around at his messy bed, “Come sit over here I guess, sorry for the uh...yeah I know, I need to clean more.”

The demon chuckled, “It’s ok. Although, if the Dipper from my world saw this, I think he’d honestly have a heart attack.” A burst of giggles preceded the comment and William had to cover his mouth with a hand in an attempt to stifle them, eyes squeezing shut and free arm coming to clutch at his stomach as the laughter intensified. Dipper raised an eyebrow at him, face contorting into a weird mixture of amused and concerned. The demon’s laughter cut off suddenly as he caught sight of the expression, self-consciousness setting in as he pushed his bangs back into place. “Uh I-um sorry…” he mumbled.

Dipper rose from the bed quickly, eyes wide, “What? No, I just- thought you wouldn’t want to talk about him you know?” he assured. William cocked his head to the side, features scrunching as he responded, “Well, I mean Gleeful may have been…,” he paused, trying to think of exactly the right word to use.

“Abusive?” Dipper supplied, voice tinged with the smallest hint of venom. William cringed and rubbed absently at his arm, “Yeah, sure…” he mumbled, still not quite ready to force the word out. “Anyway, despite all that, I cared about him a lot, it’s kinda hard not to talk about someone who affected you that much. I mean those two are all I’ve known for the past four years, and well that may be an insignificant blip compared to the millenia I’ve lived through, those years were definitely the ones that left the biggest impression. So yeah, I’ll probably talk about him a lot without meaning to.”

Dipper paled. “You mean you had to go through that for _four years_?” he gaped, arm lifting slightly to reach out towards the demon. William took a step back, avoiding the touch. “Yes, can we _please_ just drop it,” he sighed. “I really don’t want to go through all this again.”

Dipper pulled his hand back slowly, eyes betraying just the smallest hint of hurt underneath a sea of guilt. “I- oh man I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine,” William ground out, forcing on his best fake smile. He was sure the kid would buy it, he’d managed to master them during his time with the Gleeful twins. To his surprise though Dipper still seemed a bit unsure as the demon grabbed his hand and led him back to the bed. _‘Maybe the twins knew I was faking it after all...not like they’d care anyway...’_

__

The two men plopped down onto the mattress, William releasing Dipper to undo the buttons of his shirt. The fabric slipped off the demon’s narrow shoulders and Dipper immediately looked away. William sighed inwardly. _‘He can’t honestly be this freaked out by scars can he?’_ But just as quickly as he’d looked away, the brunette’s gaze returned, cheeks suddenly flushed. The sudden blush elicited a small smile from William as Mabel’s earlier words ran through his head. _‘Maybe he isn’t looking at the scars after all...’_

__

“So,” the boy started, hands rubbing together nervously, where do we start.

William cast Dipper a reassuring glance, then looked down to poke at some of his bruises and cuts. “Well, first I think I’ll do a bit of demonstration, and then you can  finish up the job. That sound ok?”

The demon felt the mattress shift as Dipper wiggled into a better position. “Uh, yeah sure, I mean you’re the expert here,” he conceded.

Willia hummed in agreement. “Alright so, first things first; this isn’t like those spells in your Journal,” he admitted, earning a confused look from the boy across from him. The demon rubbed the back of his neck absently as he thought of the best explanation. “Healing spells are kind of intense,” he said, eye scanning Dipper carefully, “You’re speeding up a person’s natural healing ability, so whatever energy the body would have used to heal itself, the spell will be taking from you. Depending on the extent of the injury, well, it can wear a person out pretty quickly, especially if that person is inexperienced like you.”

Dipper was silent as he considered the implications of what the demon had told him. “And if i use more energy than I have on hand?” he asked quietly.

“You pass out. Luckily, human bodies are smart enough to shut down before a spell can sap them dry..well most of the time.”

The boy next to him paled visibly. “W-What do you mean _m-most_ of the time!” he cried.

“Just don’t go doing anything too big Dip,” William chuckled. “All you have to do is know your limits and know your spells. Some spells take their energy upfront or all at once, others, like this one, take as they go. As long as you’re aware of how an incantation works before you go off and cast it, you’re perfectly safe.”

Dipper allowed his body to relax some, seemingly satisfied with the explanation and William clapped his hands together excitedly, eager to pick the boy’s mood back up. “Ok! now that that’s out of the way we can _really_   get started!”

“Wait,” Dipper murmured, earning a raised brow from the demon. “If this just speeds up the healing process...does that mean,” he broke off slowly, gaze shifting to the floor. William leaned closer, curious as to where exactly the boy’s question was leading. “Mean what?”

Dipper sighed and pulled the bill of his cap down slightly, although not quite enough to hide his eyes. “Does it mean that you can never really get rid of...these?” he asked, fingers gesturing vaguely at the scars across the demon’s chest.

William pursed his lips, suddenly understanding the man’s hesitance. “In a way yes,” he started slowly, “They won’t look like this though, they’ll fade to a flat white scar with enough time and magic. But you are right, the scars won’t ever really go away, at least not fully.”

The demon felt the boy stiffen next to him as he whispered out a quick, “I’m sorry I know you wanted to drop it, I was just curious and-”

“Don’t worry about it,” William assured, his smile much more genuine than the one he had tried to force moments before. “It was actually a pretty good question. It’s important to know exactly what you can and can’t do with magic. Otherwise you can easily end up way over your head."

The boy’s eyes finally raised to meet the demon’s, a silent thank you passing between them. William gave him a quick wink and clapped his hands together once more. “Ok, magic time!” he beamed.

The brunette watched intently as one of William’s hands came to rest on a fairly large, but slightly faded bruise just below his ribcage. “For this specific spell, you need to be touching the wound you intend to heal, which is fine enough for something that’s slightly healed, but a real pain for something that’s fresh,” William started, fingers tapping gently against the discolored skin. “Anyway, once your hand is over the wound, all you have to do is start the incantation.”

William looked up to see that Dipper’s eyes had narrowed, staring intently at the demon’s hand in the exact way he had been looking at the Journal, eyebrows scrunched together and mouth quirked up ever so slightly, just waiting for a pen to chew on. Instead of a pen though, Dipper had absentmindedly begun to stick the edge of his index finger into his mouth, teeth biting down into the skin gently.

Intent on not letting himself get distracted, William continued on. “Wanna know what’s cool about this spell Dip?” he asked excitedly. The boy flicked his gaze up and nodded, the finger never slipping from between his teeth. “You see, most healing spells- heck most spells in general!- need to be recast for each target, or in this case injury. But, this one here, as long as you keep the chant going, can roam all over the body. As long as your hand can reach it, you can heal it.”

“So, it’s a time saver?” the brunette inquired.

“Yes, exactly!” William beamed. He was already enjoying the lesson far more than he thought he would, Bill’s moodiness be damned. It had been so long since he’d been able to share knowledge like this with a beginner and he’d honestly forgotten how good it could feel. It brought up memories, some stretching back thousand of years, of old friends, of seeing the excitement in their eyes and watching as the lessons slowly began to turn into real results. It was a treat to be able to join someone in that kind of journey and only now did he realize how much he had missed it.

“Ok, so the incantation itself is relatively short, which is good, you’ll memorize it faster. Um..” the demon paused to look around the bed for Dipper’s discarded pen and paper pad. “Aha!” he chirped, picking up the items and scribbling down a few quick lines. He tore the paper of swiftly and handed it to Dipper with a grin. “I want you to read this a few times after I finish casting, I don’t want you saying anything until you think you can pronounce it correctly," he instructed. “If you need me to show you again I’d be more than happy to.”

Dipper took the paper carefully and squinted. “I thought you said this was a _short_ spell!” he exclaimed.

The demon merely shrugged and shot the kid a sly grin. “It _is_ , at least when you compare it to the advanced stuff,” he countered. William tapped his fingers across his skin once more with a wink and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth slowly, voice coming out clear and strong, “Ego dico super phasmatis of vita quod valetudo quod summisse scisco vos ut commodo mihi vestri vox ut is somes may niteo.”

A faint golden yellow glow sparked from the demon’s fingertips, the light spreading out across the skin. William could almost feel the discoloration leaving his skin as he ghosted his hand over the bruise, his touch gentle and fluid. It felt mostly like relief, but there was an underlying tickle, an unreachable itch just beneath his skin’s surface. Dipper had leaned forward, face inches from the demon’s handiwork as the light began to fade with the final words of the chant. He tilted his head up quickly, the edge of his mouth quirked into an excited smirk. “Not quite as exciting as zombies,” he teased, “But I would still say that ranks pretty high on my list of cool spells.”

The blue haired demon chuckled, his formerly glowing hand reaching up to cover his mouth. “Alright smartmouth,” he said, giving the brunette a playful punch with his free arm, “Your turn. Remember, take your time, delivery is important here.”

Dipper nodded, smirk never slipping as he scanned the page in his lap. After a few minutes of his eyes flicking rapidly back and forth and the occasional request for pronunciation clarification, he put the paper to the side and shifted until he was facing William fully. Any previous confidence he had had seemed to have slipped once more, the boy’s trembling hand hanging just above the demon’s skin. “So,” he gulped, “I can’t- I can’t accidently hurt you with this can I?”

William took the man’s hand in his and placed it over a particularly fresh cut just above his hipbone. “Dipper, relax,” he soothed, “You won’t hurt me I promise.” When the worry in the brunette’s eyes didn’t fade, the demon squeezed his hand firmly. “I’ll guide you through it don’t worry. All you have to do is say the incarnation and keep it going. You can stop at any time, just make sure you’ve gone through a complete vocalization before you do.”

With a quiet gulp, the boy acquiesced, holding the paper he’d been given next to the demon for reference. He closed his eyes tight for a moment, the warm brown reappearing in a flash as he began to chant. A subtle heat wafted across William’s skin, slowly morphing into the tingling he had expected, bringing with it a wave of relief. An involuntary sigh escaped the man’s lips and he leaned into Dipper’s touch, head dropping to the boy’s shoulder as his skin knit back together. Just before his eyes slipped shut he caught the briefest glimpse of Dipper’s hand, fingertips alight with the same muted blue of his cap. _‘It isn’t as bright as Gleeful’s was, how weird...’_

__

Dipper’s words stuttered for a moment as he neared the end of his second chant, words ceasing altogether moments later. He pulled his hand away slowly, William’s hand still clasped overtop as it hovered just above the freshly healed cut. “Uh W-Wil?” he asked nervously.The demon’s eyes flicked open instantly, cheeks burning as he realized he’d practically flopped on top of the boy across from him. “O-Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” he gasped, body jerking back into a proper sitting position. “I um- that just uh- it...it just felt really nice and I- I’m so sorry.”

Dipper reached out to grab at his shoulder, holding him back from retreating any further. “Wil, Wil it’s ok. It’s just you went limp all of a sudden and I thought something might have gone wrong.”

The demon pulled against the boy’s grip and tried to shift off the bed, but the hand on his shoulder only tightened. Forcing a deep breath through his lungs, he allowed himself to relax into the touch, although his eye continued to avoid Dipper’s.

“Do you want me to continue, or do you think we should stop?” the brunette asked softly, rubbing gently at the shoulder beneath his fingertips.

“I um- It’s ok, you can keep going,” William replied. “Just don’t tire yourself out too much okay?”

Dipper’s lips lifted into a reassuring smile, “I won’t, don’t worry.”

The boy was able to last quite a bit longer than William had expected, spending a full twenty minutes healing his fresh injuries. The demon made sure to keep his distance at first, but as the brunette continued, he found himself leaning against him more and more, until he found himself in exactly the same position he’d so quickly fled from minutes before. It didn’t seem to bother Dipper though, who only smiled fondly down at the demon with a soft chuckle before picking his chant back up.

As he neared the twenty minute mark though, Dipper found himself leaning against William as well, eyes drooping slightly. He allowed his words to fade slowly, ending the incantation with a final flick of his tongue. The demon on his shoulder seemed to be almost asleep, but managed to crack his eye open once he finally began to register the silence. “Thankyou,” he mumbled groggily, snuggling closer against the brunette.

Dipper flushed at the contact and shook William lightly, “Hey, you can’t fall asleep on me here,” he teased, “Wouldn’t want Bill finding you curled up in bed with me right?”

William merely groaned and flopped over into the sheets. “But its such a comfy bed,” he whined, earning another laugh from the boy next to him.

“Oh my God, you sound just like him right now,” Dipper mocked, shoving him lightly. “I mean it though, Bill won’t be happy if he finds you up here, you can nap in your room.”

“Mmmm, fine,” William sighed, pulling himself up and slipping off the bed. “You should probably get some sleep too,” he yawned, “Using that spell for as long as you did can really tire a guy out.”

The brunette leaned back with a sigh, sinking into the sheets and pillows and pulling them tightly around himself. “Don’t worry, I’m already on it.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so sorry that this took so long. It was mostly me being lazy with a bit of being busy mixed in here and there. But I promise that you guys will have regular updates again! Expect a new chapter ever 1 to 1.5 weeks depending on how much time I get to write. Thanks for being so patient with me guys <3
> 
> Also, for those of you who were wondering what William looks like I decided to draw him: http://eviltriangulardreamdorito.tumblr.com/post/122827415878/i-didnt-bother-drawing-his-hands-in-detail

The next two weeks went by with their ups and downs. Working in the shop was a welcome constant for William though. The tediousness of it, the routine, it all reminded him a bit of working at the tent, but even with that resemblance to his old home, it was grounding. At the very least it was a welcome distraction from Bill's constant hostility. The blonde seemed determined to keep William and the twins apart at all costs, especially Dipper. Mostly Dipper, actually. It was a bit infuriating. Everytime the demon managed to get a moment with the kid, whether alone or otherwise, Bill would sweep in and whisk him off to help with something in the shop or distract him with something paranormal or sometimes just steer him off with no explanation whatsoever. And the blonde never failed to shoot William a murderous look everytime he walked off with the kid.

Even Dipper himself was getting a bit annoyed by his boyfriend's antics, leaving him snappish and frustrated more often than not. The boy was prone to paranoia sure, but William had done nothing to prove himself a threat so far. As far as Dipper could tell, William had no sort of 'territorial motive' despite Bill's constant insistence. More often than not those conversations lead to arguments, Dipper not one to take kindly towards the idea of being Bill's property.

It had been a rather slow day at the shop, which left a lot of room for Bill to get in his usual antics. Specifically tormenting William, which quickly became the demon's favorite pastime after finally accepting his continued presence. But finally the day was starting to wind down to a close, the last few customers shuffling out the door with their various purchases. Dipper was hanging behind the counter, counting the day's profits while the other three took to tidying and restocking the shop so it'd be presentable for the next day.

William hummed quietly to himself, a box of snowglobes perched in one hand, as he carefully slid the new merchandise on the shelf. Bill sauntered past behind him, half heartedly sweeping at the floor. The demon could feel the blonde's glare boring into the back of his skull, but it didn't quite make his skin crawl anymore, at least not as much, considering that was about the only expression Bill ever seemed to regard him with. William let out a frustrated grimace, not that the other demon would see, and resolved to ignore him for the time being, stepping around the broom to move onto the next shelf.

As he passed the blonde however, a mischievous smirk stretched across his face and suddenly William's feet were tangled up, caught in the broom's end, sending him tumbling to the floor with a high pitched yelp. The box of snow globes slipped out of his grasp, its contents smashing into a puddle of  glass, water, and antifreeze. The demon could quickly feel the liquid soaking into his work shirt, but at the very least he'd managed to steer clear of the glass.

Dipper's head shot up at the noise, gaze locking in on the blue demon. "Jesus Will are you okay?" he asked, dropping a stack of bills back into the register and rushing over.

Against his better judgment, William flinched away from the boy's helping hand, earning a raised brow from the brunette.

Mabel stuck her head around the corner of the aisle, face mimicking her brother's. "Will?"

The demon curled his fingers against the woodgrain of the floor, gaze firmly averted. He knew there was no reason to expect the kids to lash out and he'd honestly gotten better around the twins over the weeks, slowly but surely coming to relax around them. But something about the situation had struck him. This was the first time he'd actually done something  _wrong_ in front of them, the first time he'd actually done something that might warrant a negative reaction. He'd broken things back at the tent for sure. Even without the interference of hostile co workers he was rather prone to accidents and bouts of clumsiness. The Gleeful twins had never taken very kindly to those incidents. The demon felt a few phantom pains ghost across his skin as he remembered the lashings, both verbal and physical, he'd get in return. His gazed flickered up to Dipper for a moment, but dropped just as quickly.

_'Get it together William, he isn't Gleeful.'_

"I-I'm so sorry. I-I'll clean it up I promise," he stammered, rising quickly. He took a step back slowly, wanting to put a bit of space between him and the brunettes, but hesitant to make it too obvious.

Dipper's face softened with concern for a moment before he shot a pointed look at Bill. "I have a sneaking suspicion you were involved with this," he grumbled.

The blonde looked up from his sweeping, a cheeky grin plastered across his freckled face. "Aw kid, and why would you ever say that," he drawled.

"God damn it Bill," Dipper snapped, "You've been tormenting the poor guy all day just (i) _back off_ already."

William couldn't help himself, the tone alone pulling a quiet whimper out of him as he shrank back against a shelf.

_'Not Gleeful, not Gleeful, he isn't mad at you, calm down, calm-'_

"Dipper..." Mabel hedged, nodding back towards the cowering demon.

The man's eyes widened and he took a careful step forward, avoiding the mess as best he could. "Shit, Will I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," he said softly.

William flinched back further, breath hitching slightly, as a warm hand was clasped over his shoulder. Behind them Bill rolled his eyes, hand coming to rest on a cocked hip. "Wow, really? He wasn't even mad at   _you._ Do you get any more pathetic?" he huffed.

Dipper shot him a quick glare and a quiet, "Shut up Bill," before turning back to the blue haired demon with a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's okay Will, you're not in trouble. You're safe."

The demon took a breath and glanced off to the side. “I’m gonna go grab a broom, or a mop...or something,” he mumbled, pulling away from Dipper to disappear from the shop.

Once out of sight, William leaned against a wall with a sigh. _‘You messed up again Will, you keep messing up...’_

There was a quiet shuffling nearby, prompting him to look up, only to find Mabel peeking her head into the hall. “Hey, he really wasn’t mad, you don’t need to hide out here,” she assured.

William glanced down at his hands, not quite able to meet the girl’s eyes. “It’s um...it’s not that, well not anymore at least” he murmured. Mabel sidled up to him slowly, head cocking to the side. “Well, what is it then, is it Bill? I mean I know he’s an ass, but you shouldn’t let him get to you, that’s kinda just how he is.”

William let out a small chuckle at the jab to the blonde and shook his head. “No, it’s not that either, I just…” he started with a purse of his lips, “I’m tired of being scared all the time. I don’t want that to be the only side of me you see.”

He broke off with a groan, head falling back to thump against the wall. “Dipper acts like I’m some fragile piece of glass that he’ll break to pieces if he so much as moves too fast. And while I appreciate the concern I….that’s not all I am. I’m more than just the Gleeful’s victims. I have to be, I can’t let them rule my life even after they’re gone,” he said, voice growing more hoarse the longer he talked.

Mabel had grown quiet next to him, face hidden by her fluffy brown hair. Her words were almost a whisper as she said, “Will, there’s no way that could be the only thing we see in you. Dipper’s just...protective is all.” She looked up to the demon with a bright smile, but it’s edges were tinged with sadness, as if the mere idea that they had been looking down on the demon had hurt her. “He’s been that way ever since we were kids. Hell, he’s saved my butt more times than I can count. It speaks volumes that he thinks you’re important enough to protect so quickly.”

William took a minute to obsorb her words, feeling his mood lift degree by degree. Maybe those concerned looks the brunette would shoot him had been just that, concern. Not pity, but an actual investment in his wellbeing. _‘You gotta learn to trust them Will, you can do that right?’_

“I...yeah that actually, that makes sense. Thank you,” he said, a small smile slipping across his lips, “That actually...that helps a lot.”

There was a sudden slam of the shop door and Dipper came stalking down the hall, the heels of his palms pressed firmly against his eyes as he muttered beneath his breath. He pulled his hands away slowly and jumped as he caught sight of the demon. One hand rubbing anxiously at the back of his hair he let out a stuttered, “W-Will, - Gosh I’m sorry I probably should have um calmed down a bit before coming in, I um sorry.” His eyes flickered down to the ground sheepishly before darting back up to gauge the demon’s reaction.

William shrugged and let out a reassuring grin. “It’s okay uh, I shouldn’t have freaked out so much. Sorry about that,” he started, looking over at the female twin, “Actually, Mabel helped talk me down.”

The brunette sent his sister a silent thank you and turned back to the demon. “So I have Bill cleaning up that mess he caused, do you maybe wanna get out of here for a bit? I think we could both use the change in scenery.”

The request instantly had the demon perking up, seeing as how seldom he got to hang out with the kid. His eyes opened wide, as did his smile as he let out an enthusiastic “Yeah totally, maybe we could work on some more magic? I mean if you want to of course, we could always do something el-”

He was cut of by the twins chuckles. “That sounds great Will,” Dipper beamed, “Just let me grab my bag and we can head out into the woods or something.” With that the man was bounding up the stairs towards his room, leaving the demon and his sister alone once again.

William gave the girl a meaningful look and she held her hands up, “Don’t worry I won’t tell Bill where you went,” she assured. The demon let the tenseness in his shoulders relax. Dipper hadn’t exactly told Bill that the magic lessons had continued past that first night and the brunette seemed intent on keeping it that way. Will wasn’t exactly one to keep secrets, especially not after his conditioning, but Dipper always seemed so excited to learn. He couldn’t help but let his resolve wilt and keep his mouth shut. Besides, it was a quiet retaliation to all the torment  Bill put him through, not that he would ever know about it.

Just as quick as he had left, Dipper was pounding down the stairs and grabbing William by the hand, pulling him out into the yard and towards the woods. A warm breeze swept its way through the trees and a few stray clouds passed by overhead. All in all perfect weather for a lesson.

The pair trekked down an old worn path in relative silence, Dipper practically bouncing with excitement and William giggling over his childish enthusiasm. The brunette normally didn’t stick to the paths, preferring to mark his own trails through the forest. It made for more discoveries that way. But for lessons it was easier to stick to well known routes, safer too.

About fifteen minutes out they reached a small clearing, maybe ten feet in diameter, that they had been using regularly over the past few weeks. Considering its size, it wouldn’t have worked well for more advanced techniques, but seeing as Dipper was a beginner it suited them just fine for the time being.

Dipper turned away after reaching the center of the clearing and held his arms out wide. "So what we doing today?"

William tapped his chin in thought. "Well, we've kinda been focusing on the defensive stuff, so why don't we try something a bit different."

At the mention of a change in pace, Dipper immediately perked up. Sure, healing spells and shielding wards were interesting, and certainly far more than Bill had ever bothered to teach him, but they lacked the excitement of more offensive techniques.

The demon shuffled a foot against the ground, feeling a sudden sense of unease creeping up his spine. "Um, I know you've been doing well with your lessons so far, but um, well this is the kind of magic your boyfriend was so worried about. So just, we need to be careful ok? I mean if you mess up a bit on a healing spell nothing really happens, but this kind of stuff well, you could really hurt yourself if you aren't careful."

Seeing the boy's face drop had William stuttering out a quick, "But don't worry, I can um, well I mean we have protection wards which will uh you know keep things contained at least. As for you well I- well, there isn't exactly too much we can do about that seeing as, you know, you're uh gonna be the one casting and all....I’m sorry, that doesn't really sound reassuring does it? Can I just start over or something?"

Laughter was not exactly what William had expected to hear after his near disastrous explanation. Something fearful or cautious would have been expected considering the demon had basically just told his friend there was no real way to prevent him from dying, or at the very least being maimed, should he mess up. Yet, there Dipper was, hand to his mouth, attempting to stifle his sudden fit of giggles.

"Oh my god Will, I know you were trying to be serious, but that- that was kind of adorable," he wheezed, taking a moment to catch his breath.

The demon's brows knit firmly together as a light warmth flooded his cheeks. "Wait, what? I thought- Ok I- what?," he spluttered.

The brunette's lips had quirked up into that same infectious smile that William had seen through the portal. He punched lightly at the demon's shoulder with another chuckle. "You're cute when you're flustered dude. But seriously, no need to freak. I mean I can definitely relate to the whole 'constant worrying' thing, but you've been a great teacher so far, we’ll be fine.”

William felt his heart flutter momentarily. _Cute._ Innocent enough...probably. But, the demon couldn’t help but let a little sliver of hope worm it’s way into him. Maybe the brunette really did have some sort of feelings for him. But, why admit it outright when he still had Bill? Maybe he hadn’t realized what he said?  Or maybe he was just complimenting a friend.

_‘Yeah Will, people do that. Well maybe men don’t as much considering this world’s weird expectations of masculinity, but they still do it. It’s probably nothing.’_

__

“Mind sharing a bit of that confidence with me, I could use it right about now,” he sighed.

Dipper brought a hand to his chest, an expression of false hurt overtaking his features, “Are you saying you don’t trust me Will? Even after I’ve been such a good student?!” he gasped.

The demon couldn’t help but let a peal of laughter bubble out at the boy’s dramatics. “Shut up, you know what I meant.”

“Rude. You finally letting out that demonic anger Will?” the brunette teased.

William rolled his eyes and ambled over to the edge of the clearing, starting to carve protective runes into the dirt with a nearby stick. “Oh no, guess you’re finally gonna see that dark side Bill was talking about,” he drawled, “Mildly offensive comebacks, wow scary.”

Dipper caught on to the demon’s task quickly and followed suit, the two slowly working their way around the clearing’s perimeter to seal in any potential mishaps. “I think sass would be a better descriptor.”

William perked up a brow, pausing in his work to look over to his pupil. “Well I am a Cipher after all, sass runs in the blood,” he chuckled. He paused for a moment and shrugged. “Although I guess we don’t really have blood considering our true forms are energy based, but you get the point.”

Dipper shook his head with a chuckle. Putting the last finishing touches to the final ward he turned back to the demon and shrugged. "We ready to start or what?"

William beckoned the brunette over to the center of the clearing, the two sitting in the dry grass. "Alright," he started, "Offensive magic works differently than the defensive stuff you've been doing so far. Healing spell, protective wards, and the like are easier to cast because they're much more methodical. As long as you know the incantation and have basic magical capabilities, natural talent or otherwise, you can use them. Attack spells on the other hand they're more-" He paused to wave his hands vaguely into the air, "Emotionally based. They don't use incantations per say, but rather mental intent."

Dipper perked up a brow, not exactly following what the demon was trying to say. "How am I supposed to cast something without an incantation though, isn't that like for more advanced stuff? I thought people used incantations like training wheels when they first started out, then ditched them later on."

"No. You are right about this being a bit more advanced though. That's part of why we started with defensive magic. Now you have a feel for how to cast and you know how to tap into your energy reserves. With offensive spells, instead of using an incantation to pull out that energy, you use intent and emotion. You lock onto your magical capabilities and will it to do the task at hand. Which is why I can do this-" William held a hand out palm up, a sudden blue flame appearing and dancing across his skin. "Without ever saying a word."

He closed his fist over the fire, a small plume of tinted smoke curling out from in between his fingers. "Understand?"

Dipper's brow was furrowed, eyes locked intently on the demon's hand. His eyes flicked upward and he nodded.

A small smile slipped across William's lips. "Fire tends to be pretty easy, so how bout you give it a shot? Just clear your head, hold out your hand, and picture what you want to happen. It'll take awhile at first, but the more you practice the faster you'll get. You might want to close your eyes the first couple of times, that tends to help a bit for beginners, helps them focus I guess."

"Is that what you did when you first started out?" Dipper asked, shifting into a more comfortable position.

William shrugged and made a noncommittal hum. "Not exactly, demons are kinda different when it comes to, you know all of...this. We start off relatively weak sure, some more so than others, but we're still born with much stronger talents than any human could naturally start out with. We have inherent knowledge about the arcane arts and as such we tend to just skip what would normally be the first few years of training for someone who's mortal."

Dipper was silent for a moment as he let himself absorb the information. Up until the last few weeks he'd only had Bill as an insight into the demonic world and he hadn't exactly been willing to give up much information. There was only so much the brunette could learn through observation alone, a fact that had frustrated him throughout much of the demon's time at the Shack. He couldn't even use other magical creatures as a comparison. Demons, as far as he could tell from Bill, were different even from the rest of the supernatural of Gravity Falls. Their skill sets and abilities working in their own unique way.

There had been a few evil spirits and sprites that had seemed to follow similar patterns, but Dipper had never been able to get close enough to study them without risking major injury. Or more likely, death. Now he suddenly had the living equivalent of an open encyclopedia, willing to answer whatever he asked. Over the past few weeks alone he'd managed to fill six new pages of notes into his most current journal. For the mystery hunter it was truly a dream come true.

He was thrust from his thoughts as William snapped his fingers a few inches from the boy’s face. “Uh Dip you still here?” he chuckled, “You’re supposed to be practicing remember?”

The brunette jumped slightly and felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Oh um, sorry. I was just thinking about um...you know what I can ask later. Practice right?”

The demon raised a quizzical brow at him. “Well now you’ve got me curious. Practice can wait a minute or two. What’s on your mind Dip?”

Dipper ran a hand through the grass beside him, fingers alternately tangling in and pulling on the green blades. “Well earlier you said demons are born with all of this magical ability and that just got me to thinking, how exactly are you guys even born?”

William shrugged and began to play with a few curls that had fallen loose from his ponytail, never one to let his hands still for too long much like Dipper. “Uh well, as for the first demons, eons and eons ago, no one really knows how they got there, not even they themselves do. They just appeared on day, perhaps birthed by the magical energies of the world itself, with the natural instincts they needed to survive.”

“This was long before the age of modern humans mind you, so they hunted on other fey. Once humans _did_ arrive however, well, you guys are much easier to trick, no offense of course, I um...sorry.”

Dipper waved the comment off with a chuckle and urged the demon to continue. “Do you know how _you_ were born then?”

“Yes of course.”. He was enjoying the chance to share these little tidbits, even if he knew that the next explanation wouldn’t be as innocent. Gleeful had never cared much the information he had to offer, unless it would benefit him in some way. And well, William’s past wasn’t of much benefit, the demon was a source of power to him, nothing more. Even under the pretense of their relationship, the  man had made it clear that he cared little for what the demon had experienced before the Tent. It was nice to finally have someone interested for once.

“You see, after the first demons were created, they started turning others. Our kind wasn’t so territorial back then, there were so little of us that there was no need, so no one saw any fault in obtaining new recruits. They would prey on magic users mostly, they were pretty much the only humans strong enough to survive the transformation.”

“Those who wandered into the darker of the arcane arts put themselves at risk, the demons they worked with occasionally pulling them over to the other side completely. Once turned, the new demon would serve their creator for eternity, or until they managed to muster enough strength to free themselves. That’s um...well that’s what happened to me, roughly five thousand years ago.”

Dipper’s eyes popped wide in surprise, his brows shooting up and disappearing beneath his curly bangs. He spluttered for a moment, a look of shock, then concern, and finally confusion settling into his features. “Wait you- What? Why the hell were you messing with black magic? That doesn’t really...seem like your thing. Bill I could see, but not- not you.”

The demon pursed his lips together and averted his gaze. He knew that his start as a demon had been an unpleasant one, as most usually were, but even then, he hadn’t expected the kid’s reaction. The look the brunette was giving him made his stomach churn. It was worried and unsure, maybe even a little fearful. As though this were the turning point Bill had warned him about, the moment William would finally admit to all his wrongdoings. As if he were about to admit to murder and trickery and prove himself as the demon he was. He thought he had built up enough trust in the kid, but apparently the mention of black magic was enough to set him on edge again. No doubt Bill’s constant remarks hadn’t helped; _‘Kid, you honestly think a **demon** is going to be this nice? Just you wait, he’s hiding something, I’m sure of it.’_

__

William shut his eye tight and let out a long sigh. “Please don’t look at me like that,” he pleaded, feeling the intensity of Dipper’s stare boring into his skin even still. “I didn’t do it to hurt anyone, actually it was quite the opposite. I just- I bit off more than I could chew okay? I just didn’t realize until it was too late.” He had hoped to keep this part short, had hoped to skip over the gory details, but that didn’t seem to be an option anymore. Not when he could see the cracks starting to from in Dipper’s trust.

He heard Dipper huff beside him and dared to peek his eye open. The boy had pulled off his hat, letting it rest next to him in the grass, and was running a hand through his hair. He was pointedly avoiding the demon’s gaze, much to William’s relief. He wasn’t quite ready to meet those eyes again, not until he had explained himself.

“Then why did you do it?” Dipper asked. His tone wasn’t angry, but it wasn’t apologetic either. William couldn’t exactly pinpoint what emotion the brunette had interlaced with his words, if any at all and it unsettled him deeply. The kid had been so easy to read these past few weeks, only to build up a wall at the first sign of potential trouble. The demon wondered briefly if the reaction had been a result of Bill’s influence over him, if the years of second guessing and trickery had pushed him into such a skiddish and mistrusting state. Or maybe it had been the journals that he always carried around in his bag. William hadn’t seen much of them, but from what he had glimpsed over the past few weeks painted the picture of a man burdened with deep set paranoia.

“I- I was a bit like you when I was human. I had a lot of interest in the supernatural. It helped that I grew up in Egypt. All of those tales of the Gods, I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to see the side of the world that they inhabited, the one that remained hidden from so many mortals.”

He paused a moment to breath, feeling the air hitch inside his lungs as his chest tightened. He wasn’t fond of delving into these memories. Each time he pulled them back up he felt as if he were reliving every stupid mistake, every misstep and misguided notion that had led to his downfall. Even after all of these millennia, with all the time he had had to reflect and move on, he wasn’t entire sure whether the transformation had finally been for the better, wasn’t sure if he would have just been better off living and dying back in the desert all those years ago.

He ran a dry tongue across his lips and picked up the story, “It took me years. I studied all the myths, listened to the tales of travelers, followed every lead I possibly could. And then finally, when I was eighteen, I found something. A merchant had wandered into our village loaded down with a cart full of curiosities. The arrival of a man like him was always such a big deal to us-” The demon broke off suddenly with a sad chuckle, a sudden wave of long forgotten homesickness washing over him.

“In all honesty, those types of men were no better than your Uncle Stanley, but, back then, their cheap tricks seemed like real magic. They had the kinds of things we could never even dream of. But...sometimes even tricksters have a shred of truth hidden within their lies. When I went to see him I did what I would normally do, I interrogated him, asking if he’d seen anything otherworldly. He gave me a sly grin and pulled a book out from beneath a few boxes. It was thin and tattered, but not old, just worn. He told me that within its pages I would find all the instructions I needed to find the strangest of the Gods creations.”

“So...it was like the Journals?” Dipper asked. Even though the voice had been quiet William still jumped. He hadn’t expected him to chime in, the kid had seemed content to brood in silence for so long.

“Not- not exactly,” William muttered, “It wasn’t a logbook at all. It contained a few maps, marked out with several circles locations, and a few spells. I tried the spells first. It took me a while to figure them out, seeing as I was used to Demotic rather than Latin, but I eventually learned to harness the magical energy of my body and my surroundings. I thought it was amazing. I could create fire, heal, powers I had thought were bestowed only upon the Gods. I- I wanted to learn more, but I exhausted my resources so quickly, there were only so many pages in that little book.”

“So I decided to leave my village, my family, to follow the maps. I wasn’t well liked, most people thought I was meddling in powers far beyond what any mortal deserved, and maybe I was, but I didn’t care then. So, no one really missed me after I was gone, except for my relatives I hope. Who knows though, maybe they were just happy to finally have their strange son out of their hair.”

He heard Dipper grunt across from him. “Yeah, I- I can relate to that at least. People have never taken very kindly to my supernatural interests either.” Empathetic eyes met with William’s briefly, only to flit back away just as quickly. William had never been happy to hear about the mistreatment Dipper’s peers had put him through, but the demon was still relieved to hear at least (i) some sort of emotion from the kid. Maybe he would understand after all.

He nodded at the boy with a hum, signalling that he had heard, and continued with the story. “That was when I found the creatures. Nymphs and fairies and all these other welcoming fey. They let me in, let me learn about them. We became friends even. I stayed with them for several years, not bothering to check the last spot on the map, one so far from the others, when the places I had already found had so quickly become my new home. Then- Then people found us. Villages had been expanding, human influence had been spreading, it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon us.”

“People had never cared for my interests, and meeting them face to face was no different. They reacted with fear and violence. They destroyed my home, killed my friends.”

William bit back the tension in his throat, curled his fingers into the dirt. It had been so long ago, but even now he could feel hole of the kinship that had slipped through his fingers, of the happiness long ago lost. He blinked away the mist threatening to overtake his vision. “We ran, but they followed, pushing the few of us that were left farther and farther into the desert, into the places that even the supernatural couldn’t survive. I remembered the map and its last unexplored circle. I tried to convince everyone to go, but...they all refused. I had thought their hesitance had been fear. And I was right to an extent, just wrong about the reasoning. I thought they were afraid of the humans’’ pursuit, but in reality...they feared what live there far more than they feared the humans.”

“I left without them, desperate to bring back help. I’d never meet mean spirited fey before, I had no idea they even existed. So when a bony, willowy spirit, residing in the deepest parts of this supernatural safehaven, offered me its help, I accepted. He gave me a spell, told me it would fix all of my troubles. I thanked him profusely and apologized for not having anything to give him in thanks. He chuckled and waved me off, saying I could repay him once the task was complete.”

William had shut his eye, forehead resting in his hands as he forced the rest of the words out. He could hear Dipper shift beside him then a sharp intake of breath as he quickly realized William’s fatal mistake. He didn’t interrupt through, which the demon took as his cue to continue. “I came back and I used the spell. It required a good amount of my blood and a few locks of my hair, which struck me as odd at the time, far different than any spell I had used before but it- it worked. And so I didn’t question it. The humans seemed dazed and confused and when I told them to leave, they obeyed.”

“My friends were able to return home and I tried to follow but, the spirit returned soon after for his payment. He’d never told me what it was, but I’d agreed anyway. He wanted servitude. But I wouldn’t do as I was, I was far too weak for his liking. So he made me into a demon. My powers ended up encompassing the mind, considering my first dabble into the dark arts had been basic mind control and altering. It was an excruciating transformation though, having my humanity ripped from my body like that, and when I came to afterwards, I was terrified.”

He looked over at Dipper, who finally meet his eye with a sad gaze. The demon felt a stray tear slide down his cheek as memories flooded back to him. “He- he made me do his dirty work. I- I did so many t-terrible things,” he stuttered, feeling his throat tighten painfully, “I couldn’t get out, I was so weak compared to him.” The words struck the demon hard, finally hearing how close they sounded to his situation with the Gleefuls. It seemed history really could repeat itself.

“My old friends stayed far away from me, fearing my master, and eventually they were found by more humans. I wasn’t able to help them this time though, and I saw them disappear one by one.”

“Eventually, my powers started to grow the more I used them and I was able to flee. I wanted to make up for all the horrible deeds I done under my master’s command, so I became a protector. I found places where fey congregated and kept the supernatural world and the mortal one apart as best I could. I didn’t want anyone else to become as desperate for help as I had been back then, so I kept the fey and the people nearby separate and safe. I managed it for a maybe two millennia, until a clever human found a way to lock me away in the Mindscape. The Gleefuls were the ones to finally freed me, if you could call it that, and well, here I am now.”

The demon gave a small sniffle as his words faded into the evening air, rubbing gently at his nose. He was nearly knocked onto his back in the dirt as Dipper slammed into him, holding him in a tight embrace. He gave the demon a slight squeeze and let out a shaky breath.

“Jesus Will, I- I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what you went through and I’m sorry for doubting you. I’ve never been a very trusting person, but you- you deserved better than that.”

The demon relaxed into the boy’s hold and pressed his face into his shoulder. He smelled of the forest and detergent, soft and welcoming. The demon hummed against the boy’s shirt, content to slump against him silently. They sat there for a few minutes, Dipper stroking Williams hair as he collected himself from the memories he had locked away for so long.

 **  
**Slowly, Dipper pulled back and helped William to his feet. “It’s going to get dark soon,” he said quietly, giving the demon’s hand a squeeze, “We should probably head back. We can practice another day.” William nodded and followed after the boy, relishing in the fact that Dipper seemed content to keep their fingers connected for the time being. Only when the Shack began to appear between the trees did the brunette finally let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I was a bit worried it might sound cliche or something, idk why haha


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